JUSTICE

Prisoners: Drugs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of  (a) male and  (b) female offenders aged 10 to 17 years entered custody with a substance misuse problem in each year since 1997.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department does not collect this information.

Prisoners: Mental Health

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of prisoners were diagnosed with mental health problems during the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures about the number of prisoners with mental health problems are not routinely collected. However a survey of mental ill health in the prison population undertaken in 1997 by the Office for National Statistics estimated that around 90 per cent. of prisoners had at least one of the five disorders (personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, alcohol misuse, and drug dependence) considered in the survey. Co-morbidity levels were also high.
	In 2008 Ministry of Justice research suggested that common mental health problems are very prevalent with 82 per cent. of prisoners on sentences of less than four years identified with anxiety or depression.

Prisoners: Suicide

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many reported suicides there have been of prisoners in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: The following table lists the annual totals for self-inflicted deaths in prison custody for each of the years 1997 to 2008.
	
		
			   Self-inflicted deaths( 1) 
			 1997 68 
			 1998 83 
			 1999 91 
			 2000 81 
			 2001 73 
			 2002 95 
			 2003 94 
			 2004 95 
			 2005 78 
			 2006 67 
			 2007 92 
			 2008 60 
			 (1) The Prison Service definition of self-inflicted deaths is broader than the legal definition of suicide and includes all deaths where it appears that a prisoner has acted specifically to take their own life. This inclusive approach is used in part because inquest verdicts are often not available for some years after a death (some 20 per cent. of these deaths will not receive a suicide or open verdict at inquest). Annual numbers may change slightly from time to time as inquest verdicts and other information become available. 
		
	
	Every death in prison is a tragedy, and affects families, staff and other prisoners deeply. Ministers, the Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service are committed to learning from each death and to reducing the number of such incidents. Good care and support from staff save many lives, but such instances go largely unreported. Prisons successfully keep safe in any given month approximately 1,500 prisoners assessed to be at particular risk of suicide or self-harm. Deaths in prisons are among the most scrutinised of all incidents and each case is subject to a police investigation and independent investigation by the prisons probation ombudsman. Robust systems are in place for monitoring deaths and learning from them.

Sexual Offences: Prisons

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints of sexual violence were recorded in prisons in the latest period for which figures are available.

Claire Ward: In the financial year 2008-09, 124 sexual assaults were recorded on the National Offender Management Service's incident reporting system (IRS). This figure includes proven and unproven allegations and is subject to change because some allegations are removed or reclassified following investigation.
	Without cross reference to the police national database, we cannot confirm how many of these original allegations reached a full investigation. Such further information would not prove cost-effective to produce.
	Since 2004, a national strategy has directed every public sector prison to have in place a local violence reduction strategy. From mid-2007, this policy has been applied to both the public sector and contracted estate. The strategy requires each prison to undertake regular analysis of the problem areas, consider solutions and provide an action plan to improve personal safety and reduce violence. A whole prison approach is encouraged, engaging all staff, all disciplines and prisoners in challenging unacceptable behaviour, problem-solving and personal safety. This includes environmental and physical measures, as well as alternative ways of managing behaviour.

TRANSPORT

Vehicles: Insurance

John Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department plans to take to reduce the number of vehicles driven on public roads without valid insurance; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: Regulations are being drafted to bring into force a new scheme of continuous enforcement of motor insurance.
	This scheme will identify those potentially uninsured by regularly comparing vehicle registration data on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) database with the database of insured vehicles maintained by the Motor Insurers' Bureau. Vehicle keepers found to be without valid insurance will be subject to enforcement action by the DVLA.

High-Speed Rail

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions he has had on proposals for a high-speed rail link between the North West and London.

Chris Mole: The Secretary of State and my ministerial colleagues meet regularly with key stakeholders to discuss a range of transport issues, including high-speed rail.
	The Secretary of State was in Manchester on Wednesday 21 October 2009 at the Northern Regeneration Summit, where he engaged with a range of organisations and regional bodies, and provided the keynote speech, on high-speed rail.
	I also engaged with stakeholders across the North West, Yorkshire and Humber as part of my rail tour of those regions in September.

High-Speed Rail

Mr. Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent progress has been made on consideration of proposals for a high-speed rail hub at Birmingham International Airport.

Chris Mole: "High Speed Two" has been formed to help develop the case for high-speed rail services. As a first stage, High Speed Two will report by the end of the year with for a proposed route from London to the West Midlands. This will include consideration of a range of route options as well as access to central London and the other cities served.

Heavy Goods Vehicles

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the number of heavy goods vehicles registered overseas which used roads in the UK in 2008.

Paul Clark: In 2008 around 3.5 per cent. of all heavy goods vehicle traffic in Great Britain were estimated to be foreign-registered vehicles.

A34

Dr. Harris: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if the Government would support the construction of a full diamond interchange on the A34 at Lodge Hill near Abingdon; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: Oxfordshire county council are examining the impact of junction improvements in the Central Oxfordshire area. The junction operation at Lodge Hill and the impact of any proposed development will need to be examined by the Vale of White Horse District Council for their Local Development Framework. The Government cannot consider supporting such a proposal until the need is established.

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department spent on first class rail travel for officials in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport and its agencies do not record rail travel expenditure separately for different classes of travel. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Official travel in the Department is undertaken in accordance with the requirements set out in the Civil Service Management Code.

Marine and Coastguard Agency

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent progress has been made by the Marine and Coastguard Agency in implementing the findings of research it has commissioned on small vessel safety; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in conjunction with the key stakeholders, including the Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG), continues to work on improvements for small vessel safety with the industry through an improving safety culture, influenced by consultants, surveyors and, where appropriate, fishermen.
	The MCA has an ongoing programme of research. Each piece of research is validated and subject to cost-benefit analysis. Where practicable and agreed suitable for application it is implemented either through mandatory regulation, instructions to surveyors, or guidance for industry.
	Currently, the MCA is considering the outputs of research projects, carried out by a number of consultancies, and accident investigations focussing on the stability and seaworthiness of small vessels.
	The review of the fishing vessel projects is being undertaken in conjunction with the Stability Sub-Group of FISG, to ensure they are consistent and address the underlying safety problems identified from the accident investigations.

Motorway: Closures

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on how many occasions in the last 12 months an initial decision fully to close a motorway by a road policing officer has been overturned by a supervisor at the Highways Agency or Highway Authority.

Chris Mole: No Highways Agency staff have the authority to overturn an instruction given by a police constable.
	The Traffic Management Act 2004, Section 4 (1) states
	"A traffic officer shall, when carrying out his duties, comply with any direction of a constable".

Railways: Standards

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what information his Department holds on recent levels of performance of rail services operated by  (a) Virgin Trains and  (b) London Midland between Milton Keynes and Euston.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not hold the specific data requested but the overall Virgin West Coast Public Performance Measure improved for the period from 23 August to 19 September 2009 against the same period last year, with an increase of 5.7 per cent. from 83.3 per cent. to 89 per cent. For London Midland the equivalent change was a 4.1 per cent. increase, from 86.6 per cent. to 90.7 per cent.

Roads: Construction

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the length of time taken by local authorities adopting residential roads in new developments; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport has no information on the adoption of streets in new developments by local highway authorities and has made no estimate of the time authorities take to do so.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Coal Fired Power Stations

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on (i) the reuse of waste ash and (ii) levels of radioactive emissions from coal-fired power stations.

David Kidney: holding answer 12 October 2009
	 DECC has not commissioned or evaluated research on the re-use of waste ash and levels of radioactive emissions from coal-fired power stations. According to industry sources, around 50 per cent. of waste pulverised fuel ash from coal-fired power stations is re-used in the construction sector.

Collaborative Offshore Wind Research into the Environment

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what procedures are used to allocate funding for research projects by Collaborative Offshore Wind Research into the Environment.

David Kidney: holding answer 19 October 2009
	Collaborative Offshore Windfarm Research Into the Environment (COWRIE) is an independent registered Charity that was set up to advance and improve understanding and knowledge of the potential environmental impacts of offshore wind farm development in UK waters. COWRIE Ltd is governed by a board of trustees who are responsible for overseeing the administration of the company and its financial governance. Further information can be found on their website:
	http://www.offshorewind.co.uk/Pages/COWRIE

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on first class rail travel for officials since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Department's officials have spent a total of £217,425 on first-class rail travel since the inception of the Department on 3 October 2008.

Energy: Meters

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  if he will bring forward proposals for the compulsory installation of stand-alone home energy displays alongside smart meters;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that energy suppliers provide stand-alone home energy displays alongside smart meters under the smart metering scheme.

David Kidney: holding answer 19 October 2009
	The Government recently published a consultation on smart metering for electricity and gas. As part of the consultation the Government invited views on the type of consumption information that should be provided to consumers, and on the expectation that stand-alone, real-time displays would be provided with smart meters. The Government will respond to the consultation in due course.

Energy: Meters

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure that energy companies work with local authorities to deliver the smart metering scheme.

David Kidney: holding answer  19 October  2009
	The Government recently published a consultation on smart metering for electricity and gas. This included questions on a range of delivery and deployment options. The Government will respond to the consultation in due course. Following the Government response work will commence on detailed preparation for the full roll-out of smart meters.

Energy: Prices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to encourage fuel companies to pass on reductions in energy costs to customers.

David Kidney: holding answer 20 October 2009
	The Government have asked Ofgem to report on wholesale costs and retail prices on a quarterly basis, to improve transparency. The latest of these reports was issued in August. The Government and Ofgem have made it clear that we expect to see energy suppliers reduce prices when costs allow.

Plutonium: Exports

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 1976W, on plutonium: exports,  (a) which ships were used in each respective transport to which reference is made and  (b) which United Kingdom port of departure and Swedish port of destination was used in each case; and when he expects the irradiated advanced cooled reactor fuel pins to be returned to the United Kingdom from Sweden.

David Kidney: The Intermediate Level Waste containing approximately 5g of plutonium was contained within drums and shipped in a lorry from Immingham to Gothenburg on a normal commercial ferry. The cargo met all the regulatory and licence requirements for the chosen method of transport.
	The container of 46 irradiated advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) fuel pins containing less than 400g of plutonium was shipped from Workington to Wallhamn on the Atlantic Osprey. This is a special-purpose cargo vessel, approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to International Maritime Organisation standards to be certificated as an INF2 (Irradiated Nuclear Fuel) vessel.
	The fuel pins are still undergoing analytical examination and plans for their return to the UK have not yet been made.

Sellafield

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether  (a) his Department and  (b) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has contracts with (i) Nuclear Management Partners and (ii) Sellafield Ltd. on the management of the Sellafield site.

David Kidney: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have any contracts with Nuclear Management Partners or Sellafield Ltd. The NDA have:
	(i) a Parent Body Agreement with Nuclear Management Partners (redacted copy available on NDA website www.nda.gov.uk; and
	(ii) a Management and Operations contract with Sellafield Ltd. (redacted copy available on NDA website www.nda.gov.uk).

Sellafield

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether  (a) his Department and  (b) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority expect to receive fees from (i) Nuclear Management Partners and (ii) Sellafield Ltd. in relation to the management of the Sellafield site.

David Kidney: Under the terms of its contract with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) will be able to earn performance related fees. No fees will be paid by NMP to either the NDA or the Government.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Bigamy

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) offences of bigamy have been recorded and  (b) how many people have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted for offences related to bigamy in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: The Home Office has responsibility for the police recorded crime statistics and figures for the number of offences of bigamy recorded by the police are given in Tables 1-3.
	Court proceedings statistics are collected by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Table 4 shows the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for bigamy in England and Wales from 1997 to 2007 (latest available). Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
	The police recorded crime data are based on the number of offences recorded in each financial year. Court proceedings data are based on the number of offenders. These data are published on a calendar year basis and are counts of persons classified by their principal offence. For these reasons the two datasets are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  Table 1: Offences of bigamy recorded by the police 
			  Number of offences 
			  Police force area  1997 
			 Avon and Somerset 1 
			 Bedfordshire 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 
			 Cheshire 1 
			 Cleveland 1 
			 Cumbria 0 
			 Derbyshire 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 
			 Dorset 1 
			 Durham 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 
			 Essex 1 
			 Gloucestershire 0 
			 Greater Manchester 2 
			 Gwent 0 
			 Hampshire 1 
			 Hertfordshire 0 
			 Humberside 0 
			 Kent 3 
			 Lancashire 1 
			 Leicestershire 0 
			 Lincolnshire 2 
			 London, City of 0 
			 Merseyside 0 
			 Metropolitan Police 48 
			 Norfolk 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 
			 Northumbria 0 
			 North Wales 0 
			 North Yorkshire 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 
			 South Wales 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 
			 Staffordshire 1 
			 Suffolk 1 
			 Surrey 1 
			 Sussex 1 
			 Thames Valley 1 
			 Warwickshire 0 
			 West Mercia 0 
			 West Midlands 4 
			 West Yorkshire 1 
			 Wiltshire 0 
			 England and Wales 75 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Offences of bigamy recorded by the police( 1, 2) 
			  Number of offences 
			  Police force area  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Avon and Somerset 6 4 4 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 2 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 0 2 0 
			 Cheshire 1 1 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 1 
			 Cumbria 2 0 0 1 
			 Derbyshire 3 1 4 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 0 3 2 
			 Dorset 0 0 1 3 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 1 2 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 1 0 0 2 
			 Greater Manchester 4 0 5 2 
			 Gwent 3 0 1 2 
			 Hampshire 2 2 3 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 1 1 
			 Humberside 1 0 1 0 
			 Kent 2 3 2 2 
			 Lancashire 2 0 1 1 
			 Leicestershire 1 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 1 0 1 0 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 3 1 2 1 
			 Metropolitan Police 62 41 33 39 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 1 2 
			 Northumbria 0 2 0 1 
			 North Wales 1 1 0 2 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 1 1 
			 South Wales 2 1 1 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 1 1 0 
			 Staffordshire 1 2 1 0 
			 Suffolk 2 2 0 1 
			 Surrey 2 0 2 1 
			 Sussex 7 2 4 3 
			 Thames Valley 1 5 1 1 
			 Warwickshire 0 1 0 0 
			 West Mercia 4 1 1 0 
			 West Midlands 4 4 2 2 
			 West Yorkshire 7 3 1 3 
			 Wiltshire 0 1 0 0 
			 England and Wales 129 83 80 74 
			 (1) The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. (2) The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Offences of bigamy recorded by the police( 1) 
			  Number of offences 
			  Police force area  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset 2 2 2 2 1 3 4 
			 Bedfordshire 2 0 3 1 0 1 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 4 3 1 1 2 0 2 
			 Cheshire 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 4 1 0 0 4 1 
			 Dorset 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 
			 Gloucestershire 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 5 1 5 5 5 2 5 
			 Gwent 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Hampshire 6 4 0 5 0 1 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 4 3 0 0 1 
			 Humberside 3 0 4 1 2 0 0 
			 Kent 1 3 2 1 1 1 1 
			 Lancashire 0 2 0 0 1 2 1 
			 Leicestershire 0 3 1 5 1 0 1 
			 Lincolnshire 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 1 0 3 0 2 2 
			 Metropolitan Police 33 25 40 37 21 30 18 
			 Norfolk 0 2 1 1 0 3 2 
			 Northamptonshire 0 2 5 0 3 1 0 
			 Northumbria 1 2 0 1 1 0 1 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 
			 North Yorkshire 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 3 3 1 0 2 0 0 
			 South Wales 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 
			 South Yorkshire 2 1 1 3 1 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 1 0 0 2 2 0 3 
			 Suffolk 2 0 2 2 0 1 1 
			 Surrey 1 0 3 1 2 0 1 
			 Sussex 0 0 1 2 1 1 1 
			 Thames Valley 3 1 6 5 2 7 4 
			 Warwickshire 1 0 1 2 0 5 3 
			 West Mercia 1 0 2 0 2 0 1 
			 West Midlands 1 3 4 6 6 1 2 
			 West Yorkshire 2 3 2 2 0 1 4 
			 Wiltshire 2 0 1 5 0 2 0 
			 England and Wales 88 71 104 101 61 74 65 
			 (1) The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for bigamy, England and Wales 1997 to 2007( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Proceeded against 
			  Force  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset - 1 - - - - 1 - 1 - - 
			 Bedfordshire - - 1 - - 1 - - 1 2 - 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 - - - - - 2 - - - 1 
			 Cheshire - 1 - - - - - - 1 - 1 
			 City of London 1 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Cleveland - - - 1 - - - - - - - 
			 Cumbria - - 1 - 1 - - - - - 1 
			 Derbyshire - - 3 2 4 - - - - - - 
			 Devon and Cornwall - - - - - 2 2 1 - - - 
			 Dorset - 1 - - - 1 - 1 1 - - 
			 Durham - - - - - - - 1 - - - 
			 Essex - - - 1 - 1 2 - - - - 
			 Gloucestershire - 1 - - - 1 - - - - - 
			 Greater Manchester 1 - 4 1 1 - - - 3 3 - 
			 Hampshire 2 - 2 1 2 1 3 1 1 - - 
			 Hertfordshire - - - - - 1 - - - - - 
			 Humberside 1 - 1 - - 1 1 1 - - - 
			 Kent - - - 1 1 - - - 1 - - 
			 Lancashire - - - - 1 1 - 1 - - 2 
			 Leicestershire 2 - - - - - - 1 - - - 
			 Lincolnshire 1 - - 1 - - - - 1 - - 
			 Merseyside 1 1 1 - - - 1 1 2 1 1 
			 Metropolitan Police 8 18 18 4 3 10 9 8 9 6 4 
			 Norfolk - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 North Yorkshire 2 - - - - - 1 - - - 1 
			 Northamptonshire - - - - - - 1 - - - - 
			 Northumbria - - - - - 1 - 1 1 - 3 
			 Nottinghamshire - - - - - - 1 1 - - - 
			 South Yorkshire - - 1 1 - 2 - - - 1 - 
			 Staffordshire - 1 - - - 1 - - 1 - 1 
			 Suffolk - 1 2 - - - 1 1 1 - - 
			 Surrey - - - 1 1 - - - - - - 
			 Sussex - - 1 - 3 4 - - - 1 - 
			 Thames Valley - - 1 - - - - 1 1 - - 
			 Warwickshire - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 West Mercia - - - - 1 - - 1 - - 1 
			 West Midlands 1 2 1 1 2 - 1 - 1 3 1 
			 West Yorkshire 1 2 1 1 - 1 1 - 2 - - 
			 Wiltshire - - 1 - - 1 1 - - 4 - 
			 Dyfed Powys - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Gwent - - - - 2 - - - - - - 
			 North Wales - - - - - 1 - - - 1 - 
			 South Wales - 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 - 
			 England and Wales 22 30 40 17 23 31 29 22 28 23 17 
		
	
	
		
			   Found guilty 
			  Force  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset - - - - - - 1 - 1 - - 
			 Bedfordshire - - 1 - - 1 - - - - 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 - - - - - 1 - - - - 
			 Cheshire - 1 - - - - - - 1 - 1 
			 City of London - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Cleveland - - - 1 - - - - - - - 
			 Cumbria - - 1 - 1 - - - - - 1 
			 Derbyshire - - 1 1 2 - - - - - - 
			 Devon and Cornwall - - - - - 1 1 1 - - - 
			 Dorset - 1 - - - 1 - 2 1 - - 
			 Durham - - - - - - - 1 - - - 
			 Essex - - - - - 1 2 - - - - 
			 Gloucestershire - 1 - - - 1 - - - - - 
			 Greater Manchester - - 3 - 1 - - - 2 2 - 
			 Hampshire - - 1 - 2 - 2 1 1 - - 
			 Hertfordshire - - - - - - 1 - - - - 
			 Humberside 1 - - - - 1 1 - - - - 
			 Kent 1 - - 1 1 - - 2 - - - 
			 Lancashire - - - - - 1 - 1 - - 2 
			 Leicestershire 1 - - - - - - 1 - - - 
			 Lincolnshire 1 - - - - - - - 1 - - 
			 Merseyside 1 1 2 - - - - 1 2 1 - 
			 Metropolitan Police 7 13 12 4 3 3 4 5 7 2 3 
			 Norfolk - - - 1 - - - - - - - 
			 North Yorkshire 2 - - - - - 1 - - - 1 
			 Northamptonshire - - - - - - 1 - - - - 
			 Northumbria - - - - - 1 - 1 1 - 3 
			 Nottinghamshire - - - - - - 1 1 - - - 
			 South Yorkshire - - 1 1 - - - - - 1 - 
			 Staffordshire - - - - - 1 - 1 1 - 1 
			 Suffolk - - 2 - - - 1 1 1 - - 
			 Surrey - - - 1 - - - - - - - 
			 Sussex - - 1 - 3 2 - - - - 1 
			 Thames Valley - - 1 - - - - 1 - 1 - 
			 Warwickshire - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 West Mercia - - - - 1 - - 1 - - 1 
			 West Midlands 1 - - 1 1 - 1 - 1 2 1 
			 West Yorkshire - 1 - 1 - 1 - - 1 - - 
			 Wiltshire - - 1 - - 1 1 - - 2 - 
			 Dyfed Powys - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Gwent - - - - 2 - - - - - - 
			 North Wales - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 South Wales - - 1 - - - 1 1 - - - 
			 England and Wales 16 18 28 12 17 16 20 22 21 11 16 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed those proceeded against, as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in the preceding year and they were found guilty at the Crown court in the following year, or the defendant was found guilty for a different offence to the original offence proceeded against.

Extradition: USA

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the provision of the UK-US extradition treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The UK-US extradition treaty was one of the topics debated during the Opposition day debate at the end of the last parliamentary Session. There have been no recent discussions between myself and ministerial colleagues on this matter. The Government are satisfied that the treaty is balanced, fair and working well.

Identity Cards: Airports

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of workers at  (a) Manchester Airport and  (b) London City Airport expected to take up the option of purchasing an identity card in 2010; and how many of those workers are already Critical Workers Identity Card holders.

Meg Hillier: All airside workers at Manchester and London City airports will be able to apply for an identity card from later this year. In a written ministerial statement on 30 June 2009, my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, confirmed that holding an identity card should be a personal choice for British citizens and that cards issued to airside workers will be voluntary. During an 18-month evaluation period from launch, there will be no fee charged for identity cards issued to airside workers.

Identity Cards: Greater Manchester

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in the Greater Manchester area likely to take up the option of purchasing an identity card in 2010.

Meg Hillier: No estimate has been made of the number of people in the Greater Manchester area likely to take up the option of purchasing an identity card in 2010. However, the Identity and Passport Service has already been working very closely with local stakeholders and will be making a range of material available to inform local residents in Greater Manchester when they will be able to apply for a national identity card at a fee of £30 that can be used to travel in Europe in place of a passport.

Independent Safeguarding Authority: Members

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether hon. Members will be required to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority before visiting  (a) schools and  (b) youth groups in their constituencies or elsewhere under the provisions of the Vetting and Barring Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: No individual will be required to register on the basis that they are merely visiting a school or youth group; they must be carrying out regulated activities as defined under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which includes work on behalf of the establishment or 'work of a specified type' such as the provision of care or guidance to young people. An MP teaching a class on politics or regularly volunteering with a youth group would be required to register as would any private citizen.

Police: Injuries

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in each police force area have had injury awards  (a) reduced and  (b) reduced to minimum levels on reaching retirement age in each year since 2004.

Alan Johnson: Statistics on the number of injury awards reduced and reduced to minimum levels on reaching retirement age are not collected centrally.

Police: Resignations

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) male and  (b) female police officers in each police force area (i) resigned and (ii) were dismissed in each year since 2002.

Alan Johnson: The available data have been collected since 2002-03 and are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Police officer dismissals and resignations by police force and gender (full-time equivalent)( 1) , 2002-03 to 2008-/09( 2) 
			   2002-03( 3)  2003-04  2004-05 
			   Police Officer Voluntary Resignations  Police Officer Dismissals  Police Officer Voluntary Resignations  Police Officer Dismissals  Police Officer Voluntary Resignations  Police Officer Dismissals 
			  Fore name  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Avon and Somerset 8 3 1 n/a 42 10 3 0 30 10 4 1 
			 Bedfordshire 19 3 2 0 30 9 0 0 24 11 4 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 13 9 3 1 20 3 2 0 24 10 4 0 
			 Cheshire 8 2 2 0 14 7 0 0 17 9 2 0 
			 Cleveland 3 0 3 2 19 4 2 1 16 4 4 0 
			 Cumbria 3 6 1 1 5 6 1 0 11 4 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 11 3 4 0 15 6 2 1 15 5 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 16 6 6 1 9 4 2 1 20 12 3 0 
			 Dorset 10 1 2 0 14 4 1 0 14 6 3 0 
			 Durham 2 2 0 0 14 5 0 1 9 10 1 0 
			 Essex 9 3 n/a n/a 23 13 2 1 50 16 1 1 
			 Gloucestershire 6 4 n/a n/a 8 8 2 0 12 4 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 31 12 3 0 97 29 11 0 84 44 4 1 
			 Hampshire 25 10 3 0 51 17 5 1 33 14 4 1 
			 Hertfordshire 25 3 3 0 45 11 4 0 40 15 1 1 
			 Humberside 9 11 0 1 22 7 3 n/a 28 8 0 0 
			 Kent 23 14 0 0 61 11 1 0 47 13 0 0 
			 Lancashire 13 4 5 1 22 6 4 1 33 10 1 1 
			 Leicestershire 11 9 0 0 27 8 0 1 25 11 1 0 
			 Lincolnshire 6 4 0 0 10 6 1 0 16 3 0 0 
			 London, City of 17 2 1 0 10 2 0 0 10 1 0 1 
			 Merseyside 15 8 2 1 20 14 6 1 31 7 8 1 
			 Metropolitan Police 377 75 18 1 425 127 23 -1 326 96 31 1 
			 Norfolk 6 3 0 1 5 5 1 0 11 2 2 0 
			 Northamptonshire 7 2 0 0 15 11 2 0 16 14 0 0 
			 Northumbria 26 9 1 2 20 9 6 0 25 9 2 0 
			 North Yorkshire 9 2 0 0 12 3 3 n/a 10 8 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 9 3 1 0 10 3 1 0 21 4 1 0 
			 South Yorkshire 22 14 3 0 37 10 1 0 38 19 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 5 2 0 1 21 6 5 1 31 12 3 0 
			 Suffolk 9 5 1 0 19 9 1 1 16 10 3 0 
			 Surrey 22 5 0 0 21 13 5 2 26 6 2 0 
			 Sussex 30 5 0 0 79 46 4 2 82 30 2 0 
			 Thames Valley 50 14 2 2 52 20 1 0 72 28 1 0 
			 Warwickshire 13 1 1 0 14 5 2 0 7 8 2 0 
			 West Mercia 15 3 0 0 20 7 3 1 14 7 2 0 
			 West Midlands 56 33 11 0 79 29 4 0 86 33 13 5 
			 West Yorkshire 20 14 6 0 28 18 5 1 48 24 2 0 
			 Wiltshire 12 6 2 1 9 9 0 0 16 9 1 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 4 1 1 0 7 2 1 n/a 12 5 1 0 
			 Gwent 0 1 1 0 9 6 0 0 11 6 2 0 
			 North Wales 7 0 0 0 15 7 0 0 9 8 1 0 
			 South Wales 13 7 0 3 18 3 4 0 13 5 2 1 
			 Total 995 321 89 19 1,491 535 124 16 1,476 566 118 15 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07 
			   Police Officer Voluntary Resignations  Police Officer Dismissals  Police Officer Voluntary Resignations  Police Officer Dismissals 
			  Fore name  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Avon and Somerset 54 23 3 1 27 8 1 0 
			 Bedfordshire 20 5 0 0 15 8 5 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 19 7 2 0 17 11 1 0 
			 Cheshire 28 9 3 0 15 9 4 0 
			 Cleveland 19 5 3 0 16 9 0 0 
			 Cumbria 7 4 1 1 9 8 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 13 7 3 0 36 5 3 2 
			 Devon and Cornwall 35 9 0 0 21 14 4 0 
			 Dorset 14 8 2 1 15 4 2 1 
			 Durham 11 4 1 0 9 7 0 0 
			 Essex 62 17 8 1 63 18 5 0 
			 Gloucestershire 17 2 2 0 10 10 2 0 
			 Greater Manchester 152 34 16 5 122 37 3 3 
			 Hampshire 42 22 5 1 34 15 0 1 
			 Hertfordshire 43 12 2 0 43 20 1 1 
			 Humberside 21 10 4 0 23 11 2 0 
			 Kent 48 17 2 1 35 14 1 0 
			 Lancashire 12 14 2 1 22 10 6 0 
			 Leicestershire 33 12 3 0 20 7 2 0 
			 Lincolnshire 11 9 0 0 13 3 3 0 
			 London, City of 8 3 0 0 7 4 0 1 
			 Merseyside 70 13 10 0 47 14 1 0 
			 Metropolitan Police 258 79 24 4 429 102 29 2 
			 Norfolk 15 7 0 1 15 9 1 0 
			 Northamptonshire 14 10 1 0 14 5 2 1 
			 Northumbria 27 11 1 1 35 13 8 0 
			 North Yorkshire 12 5 2 0 24 8 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 9 5 1 0 21 7 2 0 
			 South Yorkshire 29 11 2 2 30 9 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 19 5 2 0 16 6 5 1 
			 Suffolk 11 3 4 0 9 3 2 0 
			 Surrey 24 13 4 1 32 14 7 3 
			 Sussex 56 26 4 1 51 24 5 0 
			 Thames Valley 91 40 7 1 53 33 4 1 
			 Warwickshire 10 2 2 0 9 9 0 0 
			 West Mercia 11 8 2 2 27 11 1 0 
			 West Midlands 95 42 7 1 79 27 22 4 
			 West Yorkshire 53 36 5 0 45 20 3 0 
			 Wiltshire 20 6 0 0 9 7 1 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 8 4 3 0 6 2 0 0 
			 Gwent 16 4 1 2 13 3 1 0 
			 North Wales 22 5 3 0 16 7 1 0 
			 South Wales 22 7 2 1 33 6 1 0 
			 Total 1,559 575 149 29 1,581 569 141 20 
		
	
	
		
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			   Police Officer Voluntary Resignations  Police Officer Dismissals  Police Officer Voluntary Resignations  Police Officer Dismissals 
			  Fore name  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Avon and Somerset 35 13 1 0 17 11 2 1 
			 Bedfordshire 20 11 1 0 24 1 3 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 9 3 1 3 18 7 0 0 
			 Cheshire 11 6 3 0 10 7 2 0 
			 Cleveland 15 8 2 0 15 4 3 0 
			 Cumbria 5 6 0 1 13 8 0 1 
			 Derbyshire 31 8 4 0 29 5 4 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 29 9 2 0 25 12 2 0 
			 Dorset 20 6 2 0 11 3 1 1 
			 Durham 15 4 1 0 10 6 2 0 
			 Essex 59 14 1 0 37 17 2 2 
			 Gloucestershire 13 5 0 0 9 3 0 1 
			 Greater Manchester 98 39 4 4 63 34 7 0 
			 Hampshire 30 16 5 0 31 14 2 2 
			 Hertfordshire 35 15 3 1 21 13 5 0 
			 Humberside 31 10 2 0 29 7 2 0 
			 Kent 42 15 4 0 42 15 1 1 
			 Lancashire 24 10 7 1 18 6 6 0 
			 Leicestershire 38 16 5 2 23 12 2 0 
			 Lincolnshire 12 4 0 0 12 3 0 0 
			 London, City of 12 5 1 1 4 1 0 0 
			 Merseyside 29 12 11 2 34 13 9 1 
			 Metropolitan Police 278 82 22 1 295 88 16 3 
			 Norfolk 11 5 1 0 26 6 3 2 
			 Northamptonshire 14 11 1 1 11 8 4 0 
			 Northumbria 34 12 7 2 40 8 4 0 
			 North Yorkshire 17 14 2 0 19 9 2 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 18 5 2 0 19 6 1 0 
			 South Yorkshire 29 11 0 0 21 9 1 0 
			 Staffordshire 18 6 6 2 16 6 0 1 
			 Suffolk 17 6 2 0 20 11 2 0 
			 Surrey 28 19 4 1 34 18 3 1 
			 Sussex 56 20 0 1 40 20 2 0 
			 Thames Valley 49 29 4 0 29 22 5 3 
			 Warwickshire 17 3 1 0 6 3 1 0 
			 West Mercia 21 11 0 0 21 7 1 0 
			 West Midlands 62 30 11 5 83 26 7 1 
			 West Yorkshire 60 25 6 2 49 24 5 1 
			 Wiltshire 19 9 0 0 23 6 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 10 2 2 1 4 5 2 1 
			 Gwent 17 7 5 1 18 4 2 0 
			 North Wales 10 6 0 0 10 4 0 0 
			 South Wales 68 12 2 0 73 15 1 1 
			 Total 1,461 559 138 32 1,351 504 117 24 
			 (1 )Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. Data have not previously been published in this format therefore totals may not match totals found in the published data. (2 )Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. Comparable data are not available prior to 2002-03. (3 )Excludes quarters 1, 2 and 3, as data are not available.

Police: Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department against how many statutory performance indicators police forces are being assessed against in 2009-10.

Alan Johnson: Following the changes announced in the Policing Green Paper in 2008, indicators within APACS are no longer statutory, but are set for each year following consultation with the National Policing Board, which includes tripartite partners. For 2009-10, 36 performance indicators are in APACS, but the Home Office does not make any assessment of police forces against those with the exception of the remaining single top down target relating to public confidence.
	Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary (HMIC) are now responsible for making assessments of police forces and publishing them, drawing on the APACS data set and other information as necessary.

Vetting

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a Criminal Records Bureau check identifies whether the person in respect of which the check is being made has had children taken into care.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 20 October 2009
	Section 114 B (4) of Part V of the Police Act 1997 requires that in addition to criminal record information from the Police National Computer (PNC), Enhanced Disclosures should include any other information which a chief police officer holds and considers might be relevant to the job application in question and ought to be disclosed. This may include information concerning children taken into care.
	This is usually non-conviction information deriving from local force records and is referred to as 'approved information'. Chief officers are obliged to provide such information for Enhanced Disclosures under the Act. Where disclosed, information of this nature is considered by the police to represent a factual record of previous events that an employer in the most sensitive type of occupation should be aware of in making an employment decision affecting the most vulnerable groups of people.

Vetting: Standards

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the average time for a Criminal Records Bureau check to be completed.

Meg Hillier: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer of 29 June 2009,  Official Report, column 80W.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Pollution: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many days air pollution recorded at each London air quality monitoring site exceeded EU legal limits for air pollution in each year since 2005.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Council Directive 2008/50/EC on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe requires member states to assess ambient air for levels of a number of defined pollutants. The directive sets out limit values which member states are required to meet. The limit values specify both the level the pollutants must be kept below, and the time over which data should be averaged. Limit values with averaging times of less than or equal to 24 hours, and which have been or are being exceeded in London are detailed below:
	NO2 hourly mean of 200 ug/m(3) (not to be exceeded more than 18 times per year)
	24 hour mean (PM10 of 50 ug/m(3), (not be exceeded more than 35 times per year).
	The following table indicates for monitoring sites in London the number of days per year where an exceedance of either of the above detailed limit values has occurred, for all years between 2005 and 2008 inclusive.
	
		
			  Site Code  Site Name  Year  Days Exceedence of EU Limit Values 
			 A30 London A3 Roadside 2005 2 
			 CD1 Camden Kerbside 2005 6 
			 HS5 Brentford Roadside 2005 7 
			 KC2 London Cromwell Road 2 2005 2 
			 MY1 London Marylebone Road 2005 156 
			 Total 2005   173 
			 MY1 London Marylebone Road 2006 150 
			 Total 2006   150 
			 CD1 Camden Kerbside 2007 21 
			 HG1 Haringey Roadside 2007 1 
			 HK4 London Hackney 2007 3 
			 HS5 Brentford Roadside 2007 5 
			 MY1 London Marylebone Road 2007 123 
			 total 2007   153 
			 CD1 Camden Kerbside 2008 27 
			 HS5 Brentford Roadside 2008 23 
			 MY1 London Marylebone Road 2008 174 
			 Total 2008   224 
		
	
	The following should be noted in conjunction with the table.
	The numbers presented represent a combination of both the above limit values.
	If a single day occurred where there was an exceedance of both the above limit values, it has only been counted once, i.e. the total number of days per year exceeding at each site cannot exceed 365.
	For the hourly mean N02 limit value, the number presented represents a single hour in the day above 200 microgrammes/m(3) (where the total number of hourly means in excess of 200 microgrammes/m(3) at that site was greater than 18 in the year). This counts as one day where an exceedance occurred, even though there may have been several hours above this concentration in the 24 hour period. Only hours in excess of the 18 allowed per year have been counted as contributing to the exceedance.
	For the daily mean PM10 limit value, the total number of days represents the number of days where 24 hour mean concentrations were in excess of 50 microgrammes/m(3), with the first 35 allowed occurrences subtracted.
	Therefore the days counted include only those which are above the 35 days per year allowed, or 18 hours per year allowed, as defined by the limit values.
	Data have only been reported for sites with more than 90 per cent. data capture.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average annual concentration of nitrogen dioxide in micrograms per cubic metre was recorded at each London air quality monitoring site in each year since 2005.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Under EU legislation, the UK is required to assess ambient air for levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and to report to the European Commission on an annual basis. Detailed reports on the assessments are available from the Air Quality Archive (www.airquality.co.uk). Nitrogen dioxide monitoring is undertaken in London at a number of sites for this purpose in accordance with the criteria in the Council Directive 2008/50/EC on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe.
	Annual mean NO2 monitoring data are displayed in the table for sites within London for years since 2005. Data are only displayed for sites where data capture for that year was greater than 90 per cent.
	
		
			  Site code  Site name  Year  Annual mean NO 2   ( microgrammes/m(-3) ) 
			 A30 London A3 Roadside 2005 61 
			 BL0 London Bloomsbury 2005 57 
			 BX1 London Bexley 2005 36 
			 BY7 Bromley Roadside 2005 49 
			 HG1 Haringey Roadside 2005 42 
			 HG2 London Haringey 2005 34 
			 HI0 London Hillingdon 2005 45 
			 HK4 London Hackney 2005 49 
			 HS5 Brentford Roadside 2005 49 
			 KC1 London N. Kensington 2005 40 
			 KC2 London Cromwell Road 2 2005 79 
			 LH0 London Harlington 2005 38 
			 LW1 London Lewisham 2005 51 
			 MY1 London Marylebone Road 2005 112 
			 SK1 London Southwark 2005 49 
			 SK2 Southwark Roadside 2005 60 
			 TD0 London Teddington 2005 25 
			 TH2 Tower Hamlets Roadside 2005 61 
			 WA2 London Wandsworth 2005 54 
			 A30 London A3 Roadside 2006 59 
			 BL0 London Bloomsbury 2006 57 
			 BT1 London Brent 2006 30 
			 BX1 London Bexley 2006 36 
			 CD1 Camden Kerbside 2006 71 
			 GR4 London Eltham 2006 30 
			 HG2 London Haringey 2006 33 
			 HI0 London Hillingdon 2006 49 
			 KC1 London N. Kensington 2006 38 
			 KC2 London Cromwell Road 2 2006 83 
			 LH0 London Harlington 2006 37 
			 LW1 London Lewisham 2006 54 
			 MY1 London Marylebone Road 2006 110 
			 TD0 London Teddington 2006 23 
			 TH2 Tower Hamlets Roadside 2006 60 
			 WA2 London Wandsworth 2006 51 
			 WM0 London Westminster 2006 50 
			 BT1 London Brent 2007 32 
			 BX1 London Bexley 2007 34 
			 BY7 Bromley Roadside 2007 47 
			 CD1 Camden Kerbside 2007 77 
			 GR4 London Eltham 2007 30 
			 HG1 Haringey Roadside 2007 42 
			 HG2 London Haringey 2007 32 
			 HI0 London Hillingdon 2007 45 
			 HK4 London Hackney 2007 49 
			 HS5 Brentford Roadside 2007 63 
			 KC1 London N. Kensington 2007 39 
			 KC2 London Cromwell Road 2 2007 71 
			 LH0 London Harlington 2007 37 
			 LW1 London Lewisham 2007 53 
			 MY1 London Marylebone Road 2007 102 
			 SK1 London Southwark 2007 44 
			 TD0 London Teddington 2007 28 
			 BL0 London Bloomsbury 2008 55 
			 BT1 London Brent 2008 33 
			 BX1 London Bexley 2008 33 
			 BY7 Bromley Roadside 2008 45 
			 CD1 Camden Kerbside 2008 76 
			 GR4 London Eltham 2008 26 
			 HG1 Haringey Roadside 2008 37 
			 HG2 London Haringey 2008 32 
			 HK4 London Hackney 2008 51 
			 HS5 Brentford Roadside 2008 58 
			 KC1 London N. Kensington 2008 33 
			 LH0 London Harlington 2008 35 
			 LW1 London Lewisham 2008 52 
			 MY1 London Marylebone Road 2008 115 
			 SK1 London Southwark 2008 47 
			 TD0 London Teddington 2008 25 
			 TH2 Tower Hamlets Roadside 2008 63 
			 WM0 London Westminster 2008 40 
		
	
	All combustion processes in air produce oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric acid (NO) are both oxides of nitrogen and are referred to as NOx. Road transport is the main source. At high levels NO2 causes inflammation of the airways. Long-term exposure may affect lung function and respiratory symptoms.
	London is currently exceeding the EU Limit Value of 40 microgrammes/m(3) and is not likely to meet this value by the attainment date of 2010. The Council Directive 2008/50/EC on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe provides for member states to submit plans to the European Commission to postpone the compliance deadline for meeting the limit value for nitrogen dioxide from 2010 to 2015. The UK Government expect to submit such a plan to the Commission in 2010 following consultation early next year.

Carbon Labelling Scheme

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of retail sales accounted for by retailers who have agreed to participate in the Carbon Labelling Scheme.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Responsibility for carbon labelling policy lies with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. DECC is responsible for the Government's sponsorship of the Carbon Trust (CT), of which the Carbon Label Co. (CLC) is a subsidiary.
	The CLC has developed the Carbon Reduction Label to help businesses and consumers understand the carbon footprints of the products and services they use.
	DECC has not made an estimate of the proportion of retail sales accounted for by retailers who have adopted the Carbon Reduction Label. More information on the scheme can be obtained from the Carbon Trust direct.

Carbon Labelling Scheme

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely  (a) reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and  (b) savings to manufacturers arising from the Carbon Labelling Scheme.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	Responsibility for carbon labelling policy lies with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. DECC is responsible for the Government's sponsorship of the Carbon Trust (CT), of which the Carbon Label Co. (CLC) is a subsidiary.
	The CLC has developed the Carbon Reduction Label to help businesses and consumers understand the carbon footprints of the products and services they use.
	DECC has not made an estimate of the likely reductions in CO2 emissions or savings to manufacturers arising from the adoption of the Carbon Reduction Label. More information on the scheme can be obtained from the Carbon Trust direct.

Domestic Waste: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has had with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on charges for the collection of household waste.

Dan Norris: DEFRA and Welsh Assembly Government officials are working closely together on the review of Schedule 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 and intend to consult jointly.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has not had any discussion with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on charges for the collection of household waste.

Domestic Waste: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 11 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1006W, on domestic wastes, which local authorities have sought the advice of the Waste and Resources Action Programme on available options for waste incentive schemes to date.

Dan Norris: General advice on the waste incentive scheme options available was provided by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to a significant number of authorities at meetings which WRAP was invited to attend and in response to individual inquiries. WRAP has not kept a detailed record of all the authorities that have been involved in this preliminary way.

Domestic Waste: Fixed Penalties

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish the 2008-09 Flycapture data on fixed penalty notices issued to households for waste offences.

Dan Norris: DEFRA has commissioned returns from English local authorities on fixed penalty notices issued in 2008-09 for a range of environmental offences, including those relating to waste receptacles. Returns are still outstanding from many local authorities and these are being pursued. Results will be published on the DEFRA website in December.

Domestic Waste: Fixed Penalties

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which the proposals in his Department's consultation document on fairer and better environmental enforcement published in July 2009, will affect the  (a) frequency and  (b) level of financial penalties issued to households for offences relating to household waste.

Dan Norris: The present fairer and better environmental enforcement proposals and consultation do not extend to local authorities, who are responsible for household waste matters. Any proposals to give local authorities powers to use the civil sanctions enabled by the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 would be subject to a further public consultation and separate secondary legislation, which would be debated in Parliament.
	The present proposals would give national environmental regulators an alternative to prosecution in cases when enforcement is necessary and proportionate. The proposals would allow Environment Agency, Natural England and Countryside Council for Wales to take businesses and others with a good general approach to regulation out of the criminal courts when enforcement action was needed. However, regulatory advice and guidance would remain the cornerstone of a well graduated and fair enforcement system. The worst cases of non-compliance would continue to be prosecuted. The proposed changes are designed to strengthen incentives to comply and to promote co-operation between regulator and regulated.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme have (i) issued guidance and (ii) allocated funding to local authorities related to audits of the contents of domestic waste receptacles;
	(2)  what funding and other support  (a) his Department and  (b) Waste and Resources Action Programme has provided to local authorities to undertake surveys of the contents of household waste from specific properties; and what guidance his Department has issued on whether the prior consent of the householder is required.

Dan Norris: DEFRA has not provided any funding or support to local authorities related to audits of the contents of domestic waste receptacles.
	Where the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) supports waste composition surveys, it normally contracts this work out directly. Occasionally, when it is part of a wider project, WRAP provides funding to local authorities to carry out the work. In both cases WRAP requires prior consent to be sought from the householders concerned.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme provided for local authorities in relation to waste (i) collection and (ii) disposal in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Dan Norris: In 2008-09 DEFRA directly provided £78.2 million in funding to local authorities outside London via the Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant. £60 million will be made available to London authorities through the London Waste and Recycling Fund for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. These unringfenced capital grants will be paid to upper tier and unitary authorities to enable them to set up the necessary waste infrastructure to help England meet landfill targets.
	DEFRA also provides financial support to local authorities through Private Finance Initiative credits to help accelerate the building of the infrastructure needed to treat residual waste without compromising efforts to minimise waste and increase recycling levels. To date £2.5 billion has been allocated to 37 projects. Further information can be found on DEFRA's website.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) provided a total of £2.68 million to local authorities during 2008-09. The funds were spent on local communications campaigns specifically to improve communications with householders about local recycling services and to promote the 'Love Food Hate Waste' campaign. WRAP has no remit in relation to waste disposal and has not, therefore, provided any funds to local authorities in relation to it.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's 4Es Model on planning for waste prevention.

Dan Norris: The 4Es Model was published in "Securing the future: delivering UK sustainable development strategy" (March 2005). This document is available on DEFRA's website.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the circumstances in which municipal waste collectors can refuse to collect household waste from a dwelling.

Dan Norris: The amendment to section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act, made through the Climate Change Act 2008, provides a single point of reference in legislation for local authorities in order to further clarify the existing Government policy that where residents put out their waste in a way that does not meet the conditions set out in a section 46 notice, authorities are not required to collect it.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether trade waste collected and placed in landfill by  (a) local authorities and  (b) private sector contractors in a local authority area is reckoned towards that local authority's Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme quota.

Dan Norris: The Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) was set up to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent by local authorities to landfill.
	The local authority's LATS quota is based on the biodegradable waste fraction of the overall waste arising for that local authority. Where the local authority collects commercial waste that is included as part of its overall waste arising; waste collected by private waste management companies does not form part of the LATS.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what volume of household waste collected for recycling was  (a) incinerated and  (b) disposed of in landfill sites in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dan Norris: WasteDataFlow is used to obtain data on waste collected by local authorities. However, the data requested are not available due to the nature of the questions asked in WasteDataFlow and the data collected.
	In 2007-08 the amount of municipal waste sent to a materials recovery facility for recycling was 1,571,586 tonnes. Of this:
	 (a) 36,465 tonnes was rejected and incinerated for energy recovery; and
	 (b) 68, 644 tonnes was rejected and landfilled.
	In 2007-08 the estimated total amount of household waste that was rejected for recycling was 126,626 tonnes. This is out of a total of 8,840,960 tonnes of household waste collected for recycling. The rejected tonnages include not only waste sent to a materials recovery facility, but also recycling rejected at the point of collection and materials collected for recycling that were not passed through a materials recovery facility.
	Materials are rejected due to contamination or due to them not being recyclable.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent  (a) assessment has been made and  (b) research has been commissioned by (i) his Department, (ii) the Waste and Resources Action Programme and (iii) the Environment Agency into the burning of household waste by householders.

Dan Norris: No specific assessment has been made by DEFRA or the Environment Agency of the level of burning of domestic waste by households in England. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is not responsible for research or policy on backyard burning.
	In 2006 DEFRA published a research project to review complaints received by local authorities about bonfire smoke, which advised on the legal and practical remedies available to local authorities and private individuals.
	In addition, DEFRA carried out research into emissions of dioxins from the burning of domestic waste in 2006. The review recommended that further scientific research should be carried out to establish what practical measures could be taken to reduce dioxin emissions from bonfires and domestic combustion and, consequently, exposure to dioxins. Further work in estimating dioxin emissions from domestic burning has subsequently been carried out and another research programme is currently being undertaken by DEFRA which will establish a release inventory for dioxins as well as provide information on the most effective approach for carrying out a public awareness campaign educating the public on the impacts of burning garden and domestic waste with regard to dioxin emissions. This research work is due to conclude in 2011.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent guidance  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued to waste collection authorities on charging householders for (i) new or (ii) replacement household wheeled refuse containers.

Dan Norris: Neither DEFRA nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued any recent guidance to waste collection authorities on their powers under Section 46(3) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has commissioned in relation to household waste in the last 18 months.

Dan Norris: DEFRA's Waste and Resources Evidence Programme (WREP) has just published a major review study to help distil the evidence emerging from research work completed by the Department and other organisations on household waste prevention. In addition, WREP has also commissioned a project looking at approaches for dealing with household hazardous waste and another study investigating waste composition.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the research report commissioned by his Department with reference  (a) WR0105 and  (b) WR0106.

Dan Norris: DEFRA has received the draft final report for WR0105 'Project REDUCE Monitoring and Evaluation-Developing Tools to Measure Waste Prevention' and the project team is currently completing a finalised version ready for publication. The final report will be made publicly available on DEFRA's website.
	The project (WR0106) 'Achieving Household Waste Prevention Through Product Service Systems' is publicly available on DEFRA's website.

Litter: Rural Areas

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Campaign to Protect Rural England on measures to reduce the incidence of littering in rural areas.

Dan Norris: DEFRA Ministers have met with representatives from the Campaign to Protect Rural England three times in the last year to discuss their campaign, Stop the Drop.

Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what projects funded from the Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund have involved work by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 21 October 2009
	 Projects which have been funded from the Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund involving work by the Centre of Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science are:
	
		
			  Contract number  Full title  Contract status  Start date  End date  Direct customer 
			 C2228 Assessment of the rehabilitation of the seabed following Marine Aggregate Dredging-Part II: Cefas ALSF funds/Defra Completed 12 May 2004 31 March 2007 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C2282 Eastern English Channel large-scale Habitat Mapping (MEPF 04/01): BGS/Cefas ALSF Completed 14 February 2005 10 March 2008 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3092 Initial assessment of the scale and in-situ Impact of fishing activities using geophysical data in the Eastern English Channel: Cefas ALSF Completed 1 September 2007 28 February 2008 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3101 Assessing Ecosystem health following Marine Aggregate dredging-Defra (ALSF)-linked toC2167 Completed 9 July 2007 31 March 2008 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3117 Eastern Seabed Channel Acquisition, processing and interpretation of bathymetric XYZ data to produce digital sea bed bathymetry and 3D surface morphology models Completed 1 October 2007 31 March 2008 British Geological survey 
			 C3309 Distribution of Defra Marine Aggregate Levy sustainability funds FY 08/09 to FY 10/11: Defra RPD Current 1 April 2008 31 March 2011 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3312 A Generic investigation into noise profiles of marine aggregate dredging in relation to the acoustic sensitivity of the marine fauna in UK waters: ALSF Completed 1 July 2008 31 March 2009 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3315 Dredging Impacts verified in relation to scientific evidence (DIVERSE): ALSF Current 1 July 2008 28 February 2011 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3324 Best Practice Workshop and Guidelines on Aggregate Ecological Assessments: ALSF-MEPF. MEPF 08/P75 Current 1 July 2008 31 March 2010 MEPF/P75 
			 C3325 Effects of aggregate dredging on marine food web structure and function: ALSF-MEPF Current 1 September 2008 7 December 2010 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3326 Distribution and intensity of fishing activities in the vicinity of aggregate extraction sites: ALSF MEPF Current 21 July 2008 31 January 2011 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3327 Marine Aggregate integrated assessment-a method to quantify ecosystem sustainability ALSF-MEPF Current 1 October 2008 1 June 2010 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3328 MEPF 08/02 South Coast regional environmental characterisation (REC) prog-data analysis and interpretation; BGS Current 1 July 2008 31 March 2010 British Geological survey 
			 C3340 East Coast regional Environmental Characterisation (REC) Programme MEPF 08/04 Current 5 August 2008 28 February 2011 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3688 Natural variability of REA Regions, their Ecological significance and Sensitivity Current 1 September 2009 31 December 2010 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3687 MEPF: Development of national data layers on Inshore fishing: ALSF Current 15 September 2009 31 December 2010 MEPF-ALSF 
			 C3689 Seabed Restoration: Do the benefits justify the costs? Current 1 September 2009 31 December 2010 MEPF-ALSF 
			  Source: Internal CEFAS Management Database Contract

Rural Areas: Grants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether provision for Vital Villages Community Services grants exists following the abolition of the Countryside Agency.

Dan Norris: Vital Villages was a demonstration grant programme, set up with the aim of identifying innovative approaches that would meet the needs of rural communities. The programme was set up in April 2001 and ran until 1 April 2005.
	The scheme was additional to mainstream Government programmes for community support and development, which remain open to both rural and urban communities.

South Downs National Park

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) has been spent and  (b) is planned to be spent on (i) consultation, (ii) organisational set-up, (iii) project management, (iv) communications, (v) planning, (vi) wages, (vii) pensions, (viii) office running and (ix) other costs of the South Downs National Park in the next 12 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The cost of the two public inquiries and a recent hearing totalled £3.26 million. We expect that less than £1 million will be spent on setting up the South Downs National Park Authority in the current financial year. The budgets for future years have yet to be determined.

South Downs National Park

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any existing local authority staff will be made redundant as a result of the establishment of the South Downs National Park.

Huw Irranca-Davies: It is for individual local authorities to decide whether or not to retain staff.
	Where a national park authority takes over functions from a local authority then, as happened in the New Forest, it is very probable that the existing staff will have employment rights under either (or both) of: the statutory instrument that establishes the national park authority; and the generic Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) legislation.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has provided to Resources Futures; and for what purposes.

Dan Norris: DEFRA's Waste and Resources Evidence Programme has commissioned projects from Resource Futures at a total cost of £137,845. The research covers waste growth and the composition of municipal waste.
	Since 1 April 2007, the Waste and Resources Action Programme has bought technical services from Resources Futures at a total cost of £1.2 million. These services cover a range of topics, including work with local authorities, the third sector and on evaluating our programmes.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library an example copy of a waste prevention action plan recommended by the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Dan Norris: The plans are the property of the local authorities concerned and can be obtained directly from them. The Waste and Resources Action Programme's Waste Prevention Toolkit is a starting point for authorities to develop their own plans, typically working as part of a larger partnership, and taking account of their local circumstances and priorities.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents eligible for maintenance payments via the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission and its predecessor have received no payment for over  (a) three and  (b) 10 years.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the child maintenance commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents eligible for maintenance payments via the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and its predecessor have received no payment for over (a) three and (b) 10 years.
	The Commission estimates that at the end of June 2009, of the 1,140,400 cases due to receive at least one child maintenance payment in the past three years, no payment had been received from the non-resident parent in 57,250 (or 5%) of these cases. The Commission is not able to provide an estimate on the number of parents eligible for maintenance payments who have not received any payments for the last 10 years.
	Some parents will go to great lengths to avoid fulfilling their financial responsibilities to their children. The Child Support Agency has made significant improvements over the last three years increasing the number of cases receiving maintenance by a third. The new enforcement powers set out in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 will give the Commission the tools it needs to further increase compliance.
	I am sorry on this occasion I could not be more helpful.

Disability Living Allowance: Fraud

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the  (a) number and  (b) amount spent on fraudulent claims for disability living allowance in each of the last four years.

Helen Goodman: The Department's measurement system for fraud and error does not estimate the number of fraudulent cases over a given period. It does, however, provide an estimate of the average number of fraudulent claims at any one time. Estimates of fraud in disability living allowance were last measured in 2004-05 when the number of fraudulent cases was estimated to be 10,000 cases. There are no estimates for later years.
	An estimate for the percentage of fraudulent expenditure has also been produced for 2004-05 and subsequent years by applying the 2004-05 percentage of fraudulent expenditure to the relevant disability living allowance expenditure in each subsequent year. The estimates are in the following table.
	
		
			  Estimate of the amount overpaid due to fraud in disability living allowance 
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 40 
			 2005-06 40 
			 2006-07 40 
			 2007-08 50 
			 2008-09 50

Employment and Support Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individual claims for employment and support allowance were rejected after the individual participated in a work capability assessment up to the end of February 2009; and how many and what proportion of those rejected claimants were moved on to jobseeker's allowance.

Jim Knight: holding answer 16 September 2009
	National level statistics on the Work Capability Assessment covering Great Britain were published on 13 October 2009 and are available via the ONS Publication Hub. A copy of the publication has been placed in the Library and be accessed directly on the website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca.asp
	Information on movement to Jobseeker's Allowance is not yet available but is expected to become available next year.

Employment and Support Allowance: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency have  (a) applied for and  (b) been refused Employment and Support Allowance since October 2008.

Jim Knight: National level statistics on the Work Capability Assessment covering Great Britain were published on 13 October 2009 and are available via the ONS Publication Hub. A copy of the publication has been placed in the Library and can be accessed directly on the website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca.asp
	Equivalent information for the Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency is not held centrally. However, equivalent data for Birmingham local authority are in the table.
	
		
			  Employment and support allowance on-flows October 2008 to February 2009 by result of medical assessment-Birmingham local authority 
			  Work capability result  Volumes  Percentage 
			 Support Group 200 6 
			 Work Related Activity Group 400 10 
			 Fit for Work 1,300 34 
			 Claim closed before assessment complete 1,400 37 
			 Assessment still in progress 500 13 
			  Note: This data are based on recorded advice from ATOS, rather than the Decision Maker's final determination. The final outcomes of cases may change. This will be further compounded by reconsiderations following additional medical evidence and the outcomes of appeals. Full guidance on the national figures is included in the published statistics referred to above.

Equality 2025

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on the operation of Equality 2025 to date; and how many people Equality 2025 has employed in each year since its inception.

Jonathan R Shaw: Equality 2025 is an advisory non-departmental public body established in response to a recommendation in the 2005 report by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit 'Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People'. It is sponsored by (but is not part of) the Office for Disability Issues, part of the Department for Work and Pensions. The advisory group is made up of 19 disabled people appointed to collect and feed the views of disabled people across the United Kingdom into Government policymaking and service design.
	Equality 2025 was established in December 2006 and is funded by the Office for Disability Issues. Its total expenditure for the periods 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 has been £1,391,059.
	Equality 2025 has not employed any permanent or temporary staff since its establishment, but it does receive secretariat support from the Office for Disability Issues.

Housing Benefit: Travelling People

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the policy of her Department is on the payment of housing benefit to Travellers renting an unauthorised pitch in respect of which planning permission has not been granted; and whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on this matter.

Helen Goodman: We have not issued any specific guidance on this subject; any claim for housing benefit in these circumstances would be dealt with in the usual way, which would include looking at whether there was a liability for rent.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Fife

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the North East Fife constituency had been claiming jobseeker's allowance for  (a) less than six months,  (b) between six and 12 months,  (c) between 12 months and two years and  (d) more than two years on the latest date for which information is available.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in North East Fife constituency had been claiming jobseeker's allowance for (a) less then six months, (b) between six and 12 months, (c) between 12 months and 2 years and (d) more than two years on the latest date for which information is available. (293975)
	Table 1, attached, shows the number of computerised claims of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for people, aged 16 or over resident in the North East Fife constituency on 10 September 2009, broken down by the duration of the claim.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at: http://www.nomiswcb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance resident in North East Fife constituency by duration of claim (10 September 2009) 
			  Duration  Number 
			 Up to 26 weeks 740 
			 Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks 210 
			 Over 52 weeks up to 104 weeks 80 
			 Over 104 weeks 5 
			  Note: Data rounded to nearest 5.  Source: Jobcentre plus administrative system

Office for Disability Issues: Manpower

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff are employed by the Office for Disability Issues; and how much has been spent on its operation in each year since its inception.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Office for Disability Issues employs 78 staff. Taking account of part-time workers this figure equates to a staff in post figure of 75.18.
	The Office for Disability Issues is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions. This funding is made up of an allocation for administration and programme. The total amount spent each year by the Office for Disability Issues since its inception is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  Total spend 2005-09 
			 Total spend on Administration 1,811,762 2,887,502 5,761,253 5,362,035 15,822,552 
			 Total spend on Office for Disability Issues Programme 4,245,283 1,815,043 2,600,995 2,791,698 11,453,019 
			 Total spend on Equality 2025 Programme 0 353,974 531,085 506,000 1,391,059 
			 Total yearly spend by the Office for Disability Issues 6,057,045 5,056,519 8,893,333 8,659,733 28,666,630 
			  Source:  Office for Disability Issues end of year management accounts 2005-2009.

Poverty: Children

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is introducing to meet the Government's target of eradicating child poverty by 2020; what her latest estimate is of the likelihood of the target being achieved; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: The Government believe that, for most families, work is the best route out of poverty. The Department for Work and Pensions is increasing support for lone parents and disabled parents, and testing out new support for second earners, to help them find, remain and progress in work. This support takes the form of both pre-employment support and in-work support.
	The latest statistics for 2007-08 show that 500,000 children have been lifted out of poverty since 1997; measures announced in and since Budget 2007 are estimated to lift a further 500,000 children out of poverty. The Child Poverty Bill is currently progressing through Parliament which will enshrine in law the commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

Unemployment: Young People

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps she plans to take to assist under-25 year olds who have been unemployed for over 12 months.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 September 2009
	As part of the Department's commitment to support people into work, substantial investment has been made since November 2008 to offer extra support to jobseekers to help them find work at all stages of their claim.
	An enhanced offer to all jobseekers at day one of their claim includes targeted group sessions in jobsearch techniques, access to Local Employment Partnership vacancies and help with the costs of getting back to work through the Adviser Discretionary Fund.
	At the six-month point of their claim, all jobseekers now receive a substantial package of extra support including access to recruitment subsidies, work-focused training places, volunteering opportunities and support to become self-employed.
	We have also targeted significant resource on people under age 25 in recognition of the particular challenges young people face during a recession. These measures are designed to prevent, wherever possible, young people experiencing prolonged spells of unemployment early in their working lives.
	On 29 July, the Government launched a campaign called Backing Young Britain, calling on businesses, charities and Government bodies to create more opportunities for young people, such as internships, mentoring support and coaching. As part of this campaign, all young people will receive additional adviser support and can be put forward for a work trial from day one of unemployment. We are also working with businesses to increase graduate internships and to develop work experience and mentoring support for young jobseekers.
	In early 2010, young people will be able to benefit from the Young Person's Guarantee which guarantees a job, work-focused training, or meaningful activity to all 18 to 24-year-olds before they have reached the 12-month stage of their claim to jobseeker's allowance. This offer will become mandatory from April 2010.
	The Future Jobs Fund, one key element of the Young Person's Guarantee, will create at least 100,000 jobs for young people aged between 18 and 24. The first jobs will be available from October 2009 for customers approaching the 10-month point in their claim.
	If young people remain on benefits at the 12-month stage, they will be referred to the provider-led Flexible New Deal programme (in phase 1 areas) and will benefit from work-focused support, tailored to the individual's needs and local labour market requirements.
	In phase 2 areas at the 12-month stage, jobseekers will be participating in one of the New Deal Options. If they remain unemployed following this programme, jobseekers will move into the Follow-Through Stage of the New Deal and receive more frequent, targeted adviser support.
	Help is also available for 16 and 17-year-olds. The September Guarantee was introduced in 2007 to ensure that every young person leaving compulsory education at 16 receives a suitable offer of a place in learning. It was extended to 17-year-olds in 2008. By the end of 2008, this guarantee helped to support an increase in the proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds participating in learning to 88 per cent., the highest ever rate. The proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds not in employment, education or training (NEET) fell for the third consecutive year, and only 5.2 per cent. of 16-year-olds were NEET, the lowest rate for more than a decade.
	Furthermore, the Government are delivering record numbers of apprenticeships in England and we expect 250,000 people to start apprenticeships this year.

WALES

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of procurement contracts his Department awarded to small businesses in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08,  (c) 2008-09 and  (d) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office uses the Ministry of Justice procurement systems and the Office of Government Commerce on-line procurement services.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the date on which the Electoral Complaints Commission in Afghanistan is expected to report its findings in respect of the recent presidential election.

Ivan Lewis: The Electoral Complaints Commission reported the findings of its investigation to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on 19 October 2009. The IEC announced the final result of the presidential elections on 20 October 2009.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his  (a) EU,  (b) UN and  (c) NATO counterparts on the conduct of the Afghanistan elections.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had recent discussions with a range of partners, including US and EU counterparts and the Secretary General of NATO, about the process and conduct of the Afghan elections. The international community continues to support the Independent Election Commission and Electoral Complaints Commission's investigation.

British Overseas Territories: Arms Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has held to discuss tackling arms trafficking in UK Overseas Territories in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: In the last 12 months my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not held any specific discussions on combating arms trafficking in the British Overseas Territories.

Burma

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness against objectives of EU sanctions on Burma.

Ivan Lewis: Following the sentence imposed on Aung San Suu Kyi on 11 August 2009, the EU put in place further sanctions intended to specifically target the Burmese regime's economic interests, as well as imposing a travel ban on those members of the judiciary responsible for the verdict. These measures came into force on 14 August 2009. The fact that new EU trade and investment is negligible is an indication of the success of this policy.
	Moreover, these sanctions leave the regime in no doubt about our determination to see real democracy established and human rights respected in Burma. Their objective is to target those individuals and entities that are most closely linked to the regime's misrule, rather than punishing the Burmese population as a whole.

Burma: Arms Trade

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what UK policy is on proposals for a UN arms embargo on Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Following the verdict in the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister wrote to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Security Council members calling for a voluntary, global arms embargo against Burma.
	The EU and the US have had an arms embargo in place for many years. A UK attempt to secure a non-binding Security Council resolution in 2007 was blocked. We will however continue to work through the UN, the EU and bilaterally to put maximum pressure on the Burmese regime.

Burma: Human Rights

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of recent proposals for a UN Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are aware of several calls for the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate human rights in Burma. While there are a number of ways by which such a commission could be established, all would require a level of international consensus on Burma that is not presently achievable.
	In the past two years, our efforts have helped to secure unprecedented UN Security Council action on Burma, in the form of two strongly worded Presidential Statements. We are also active in pursuing strong resolutions in both the Human Rights Council and at the General Assembly. We fully support the efforts of UN Special Rapporteur, Tomas Quintana. His work on human rights abuses in Burma is crucial to holding the regime to account and we have urged the Burmese authorities to grant him the necessary access.

Burma: Politics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of human rights violations in eastern Burma in the last 12 months; and what representations he has made to the Burmese Government on this matter.

Ivan Lewis: The UK is deeply concerned about the human rights situation in eastern Burma and reports earlier in the year of renewed fighting between the Karen National Union and the Democratic Karen Buddhist army, who are supported by the Burmese army.
	Attacks carried out by the Burmese army and their Karen client organisations on civilians in Karen State have been particularly intense in the last two years. We have repeatedly called for a halt to such offensives and have urged both the military regime and the Karen National Union to intensify their efforts to find a peaceful settlement that will bring about a permanent end to the conflict.
	On 11 June 2009, the Czech Presidency of the EU issued a statement calling for an end to the hostilities. It expressed particular concern about the humanitarian impact of the conflict. We fully support this call and our embassy in Rangoon continues to monitor the situation closely. Our embassy most recently raised human rights issues with the Burmese authorities on 18 October 2009.

Chagos Islands

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to publish in full his Department's response to the European Court of Human Rights on the application made by the Chagos Islanders.

Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the then Minister for Europe, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 12 October 2009,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column WA3. Copies of the Government's observations on the application have been placed in the Library of the House.

Children: Kidnapping

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding has been allocated to his Department's Child Abduction Unit in each of the last five years.

Chris Bryant: A dedicated Child Abduction Section was set up in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Consular Directorate in 2003 in response to the growing number of parental child abduction cases. There are currently five staff in the section. In addition to staff costs, the following funding amounts were allocated to projects over the last five financial years:
	
		
			  (£) 
			 2009-10(1) £102,006 
			 2008-09 £115,200 
			 2007-08 £162,250 
			 2006-07 £66,980 
			 2005-06 (2)- 
			 (1) Current year (2) There was no specific funding allocation for Child Abduction Section

China: World Expo

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1259W, on the Shanghai World Expo, when he expects to finalise plans for ministerial attendance at the event.

Ivan Lewis: The Government are fully committed to Shanghai Expo 2010, which offers the UK a unique opportunity to advance our very broad objectives in China: from trade and industry to climate change, science and technology to tourism, and education to financial services. Plans for ministerial attendance during the six months of the Expo will be decided upon nearer to the opening in May 2010.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received representations on the recommendations of Georgios Lordos on a possible property settlement in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government have received no such representations.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research his Department has evaluated into the number of Greek Cypriots who in respect of a settlement in Cyprus would wish for  (a) restitution,  (b) compensation and  (c) property exchange; if he will consider the merits of allocating funds to such research; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government have made no such evaluation.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of relinquishing the UK's commitment under the Treaty of Guarantee for Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The leaders of the two communities are continuing to discuss the issue of security and guarantees. The UK will not be an obstacle to a solution.

Cyprus: Green Line

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of people who have crossed the Green Line in Cyprus since 30 April 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government have not estimated this information. However, according to figures provided by the Republic of Cyprus and published in the European Commission's Green Line Report, 730,310 Greek Cypriots crossed from the south to the north of Cyprus and 1,287,126 Turkish Cypriots crossed from the north to the south of Cyprus during the period 1 May 2008 to 30 April 2009:
	http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/turkish_cypriot_cornmunity/glr_report_en.pdf
	The same source reports that a further 739,097 non-Cypriot EU citizens and third-country nationals crossed the line during this period.
	These figures do not include border crossings within the UK's Sovereign Base Areas, for which data are not collected.

Cyprus: Green Line

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the  (a) volume and  (b) monetary value of cross-Green Line trade in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government do not collect any information on the volume or value of cross-Green Line trade in Cyprus. However, according to figures provided by the Republic of Cyprus and published in the European Commission's Green Line Report, the total value of goods that crossed the Green Line was €6,111,030 from 1 May 2008 to 30 April 2009, compared to €4,473,408 for the previous reporting period:
	http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/turkish_cypriot_community/glr_report_en.pdf

Cyprus: Northern Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) recent discussions he has had with (i) the government of Cyprus and (ii) the administration in northern Cyprus and  (b) recent assessment he has made of implementation of confidence-building measures in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government follow the Cyprus settlement question very closely and have frequent discussions both with the Government of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot leadership on this topic. They support confidence building measures as an important means of developing trust between the two communities. A number of measures, for example on ambulance crossings and restoration of cultural heritage, have already been implemented. We hope to see further confidence building measures being implemented in the coming months.

Cyprus: Turkey

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the number of settlers from mainland Turkey who are resident in the north of Cyprus who took residence in that region  (a) following the invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and  (b) since the referendum in 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government have made no such estimate.

Cyprus: Turkey

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the  (a) volume and  (b) monetary value of trade between Turkey and Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government do not hold any information on trade between Turkey and Cyprus. The most recent publicly available figures are from the Turkish Foreign Trade Under-Secretariat in 2007. Exports from Turkey to the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) equalled US Dollars ($)1.394 million, and imports from RoC to Turkey equalled $8,615 million. Volume of trade equalled $10.01 million.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the UN Security Council on the implementation of UN Resolution 1820 in Democratic Republic of Congo; and what recent progress has been made on such implementation.

Ivan Lewis: The UK is a key supporter of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1820, which deals with the issue of sexual violence in conflict situations. We work hard to mainstream its provisions into the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC). It is referred to in MONUC's mandate, due for renewal in December 2009.
	The UK recently co-sponsored UNSCR 1888 (revision of 1820 on women and armed conflict). In addition, the UK continues to push for legal action against five senior Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) commanders accused of committing sexual violence, named by the UN Security Council during their visit in May 2009.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Democratic Republic of Congo on the prosecution of allegations of gender-based violence by members of the Congolese armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Our ambassador in Kinshasa has repeatedly called for members of the armed forces guilty of human rights abuses to be brought to justice. The UN Security Council, including the UK permanent representative, raised this issue in May with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Kabila and DRC Prime Minister Muzito. Kabila gave a speech to the nation on Independence Day in June this year, promising renewed efforts to ensure "total security" for the population, including ending sexual and gender-based violence.
	Military courts in Rutshuru have since prosecuted several cases against some Congolese national army (FARDC) officers for crimes including rape. The UK continues to push for legal action against five senior FARDC commanders accused of committing sexual violence, named by the UN Security Council during their visit. We will continue to stress the importance of ensuring the implementation of the UN Mission to the DRC (MONUC)'s policy of withdrawing support from FARDC units implicated in serious human rights abuses.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate has been made of the number of people who have been displaced in Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of the activities of the Lord's Resistance Army since the beginning of 2009; which countries have received such people; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: According to a recent report by the UN Secretary General, 226,000 people have been displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a result of the activities of the Lord's Resistance Army since the beginning of 2009.
	We are aware that many displaced people from the DRC have moved to South Sudan. We are also aware that some refugees may have fled to Uganda and the Central African Republic.
	We strongly condemn the atrocities committed by the Lord's Resistance Army in the northern DRC and throughout the Great Lakes Region of Africa. They have committed appalling human rights abuses against the civilian population, including mass executions and abductions. The UN Mission to the DRC, MONUC, has increased its presence in the north of the country, after being urged to do so by the UK and other governments. MONUC is providing logistical support to humanitarian organisations, which are providing relief to the civilian population.
	We also strongly urge co-ordination between the different peacekeeping missions in that region of Africa.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on  (a) hosting and  (b) supporting the involvement of young British people in (i) EU, (ii) Commonwealth and (iii) UN activities.

Chris Bryant: This information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Embassies: EU Countries

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what revenue was received at British Embassies from Overseas Passport fees in each country of the European Union in each of the last five years.

Chris Bryant: The following table lists the revenue received at our Missions from Overseas Passport fees in each country of the EU in each of the last five years, pro-rated based on accession dates.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Country  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  Grand total 
			 Austria 37,757 69,567 89,472 123,835 94,071 414,702 
			 Belgium 252,721 257,358 304,304 389,535 34 1,203,952 
			 Bulgaria 0 0 0 5,000 13,661 18,661 
			 Cyprus 321,090 390,832 520,032 600,710 681,560 2,514,224 
			 Czech Republic 40,226 51,840 72,170 80,215 68,429 312,880 
			 Denmark 101,149 123,332 143,663 184,147 173,646 725,937 
			 Estonia 3,057 3,117 5,038 5,460 4,387 21,059 
			 Finland 22,173 21,348 35,768 46,505 42,736 168,530 
			 France 821,553 1,136,118 1,616,805 2,061,027 2,706,459 8,341,962 
			 Germany 935,027 957,092 1,383,448 1,683,959 1,654,141 6,613,667 
			 Greece 138,361 167,218 243,614 288,525 285,333 1,123,051 
			 Holland 323,717 404,678 490,141 608,304 322,955 2,149,795 
			 Hungary 25,545 31,155 37,740 49,399 50,027 193,866 
			 Ireland 614,002 644,937 880,563 1,057,212 1,055,696 4,252,410 
			 Italy 268,705 333,745 409,181 491,835 454,298 1,957,764 
			 Latvia 1,968 3,503 4,717 5,481 5,402 21,071 
			 Luxembourg 42,292 343 548 407 117 43,707 
			 Lithuania 892 2,633 2,249 4,170 2,905 12,849 
			 Malta 42,204 57,117 75,004 85,796 97,130 357,251 
			 Poland 28,020 40,549 41,288 57,431 52,624 219,912 
			 Portugal 147,115 155,024 199,414 176,044 9,488 687,085 
			 Romania 0 0 0 6,071 23,523 29,594 
			 Slovakia 3,878 6,862 10,120 11,368 9,377 41,605 
			 Slovenia 2,058 1,421 3,602 4,479 3,710 15,270 
			 Spain 1,148,209 1,450,790 1,986,662 2,663,752 2,539,259 9,788,672 
			 Sweden 100,120 125,729 178,371 206,218 199,432 809,870 
			 Grand total 5,421,839 6,436,308 8,733,914 10,896,885 10,550,400 42,039,345

EU Institutions

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for institutional changes in the European Union.

Chris Bryant: The Swedish EU presidency wants to see the Lisbon treaty enter into force as soon as possible, to bring into effect the treaty's institutional reforms which will improve EU decision-making, transparency and accountability, and the effectiveness of EU action around the world. This is a priority that the UK shares.
	Following the Irish referendum endorsement of the Lisbon treaty on 2 October 2009 and signature of the Polish instrument of ratification by President Kaczynski on 10 October 2009, 26 member states have now completed their national processes to ratify the treaty. We hope that the Czech ratification will follow shortly.

EU Law

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which powers ceded to EU level under the Treaty establishing the European Communities and the Treaty on European Union have subsequently been returned to the UK under the principle of subsidiarity.

Chris Bryant: The principle of subsidiarity is not a mechanism for "returning powers" to the member states, but for determining whether or not Community action should be set in motion.
	The member states, through the EU treaties, set the EU certain tasks and give it the powers to achieve those tasks. Article 5 of the treaty establishing the European Community states that, in areas which do not fall within its exclusive competence, the Community shall take action, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, only if and in so far as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the member states and can therefore, by reason of the scale or effects of the proposed action, be better achieved by the Community.
	Further guidelines for assessing whether these requirements are met are laid down by the Protocol on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. The Protocol also requires the Commission to justify the relevance of any of its legislative proposals with regard to the principle of subsidiarity.
	The Lisbon treaty would strengthen the role of national Parliaments in EU decision-making, so that for the first time national parliaments could challenge draft EU legislation on subsidiarity grounds. It is for Parliament to decide how to exercise its rights under these procedures.

EU: Financial Institutions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the General Affairs Council on the Swedish presidency's agenda for banking and financial regulation and shareholding in the EU.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the European Commission's proposals on financial regulation and supervision with his counterparts at the General Affairs Council (GAC) of 27 July 2009 and 14 September 2009. EU member states are agreed on the necessity of making swift progress on the package, with a view to reaching agreement by the December European Council under the EU Swedish presidency.
	The GAC has not discussed the EU Shareholder Rights Directive.

European Union: Reform

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Czech Government on prospects for constitutional reform in the EU.

Chris Bryant: I have recently discussed EU institutional issues with my Czech counterpart as part of my introductory contacts with my EU colleagues on issues of mutual interest.

France: Industrial Disputes

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of France on the cost to British businesses and tourists of blockades of Channel ports.

Chris Bryant: Our embassy in Paris and our consulate in Lille have both raised issues relating to the blockades with the French authorities.
	The Minister of State, Department for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Khan), also raised concerns with his French counterpart during the blockade.

Gaza: Borders

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to seek  (a) the ending of restrictions on access to Gaza imposed by the Israeli authorities and  (b) to ensure that international law is observed in that area.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu on 15 October 2009. He clearly expressed the UK's concerns regarding the current situation in Gaza and urged unimpeded access for humanitarian aid.
	Although there is no permanent physical Israeli presence in Gaza, Israel maintains a significant degree of control, including control of Gaza's borders, airspace and territorial waters. The UK does not consider that Israel's obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949 have ceased to apply in respect of Gaza and we continue to make this clear.

Ilois: Resettlement

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 605-06W, on the British Indian Ocean Territory, who the interveners are in the case.

Chris Bryant: The interveners in the case of Chagos Islanders  v. the UK at the European Court of Human Rights are Human Rights Watch and Minority Rights Group International.

India

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of India on the situation of the Chin refugees in Mizoram state; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary are in regular contact with their Indian counterparts on the subject of Burma.
	The UK believes that the status quo in Burma is inherently unstable and that the case of the Chin refugees is just one example of the Burmese regime's repressive policies towards the country's ethnic groups.
	We also remain concerned by the effects of a rat infestation in Chin state during the last two years and the plight of the Chin refugees in India.
	In response to an assessment undertaken by the UN, the Department for International Development has approved funding of £880,000 for emergency aid delivered through the UN Development Programme, the World Food Programme and their local partners. About 65,000 people have benefited from this aid. We are keeping the situation under close review.

India: Religious Freedom

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of India on reported persecution of Christians in Orissa state; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not discussed the situation of Christians in Orissa State with the Government of India. When the violence perpetrated against these communities occurred in 2008, my noble Friend, the former Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch Brown, raised the issue with his Indian counterpart. Our high commission in New Delhi continues to maintain a constructive dialogue with the Indian authorities about human rights and issues that affect all India's minority groups.

Iran: Overseas Trade

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1WS, on delegated legislation (counter terrorism), if he will make it his policy to seek European Union sanctions requiring the financial sectors in EU member states to cease all business with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The measures taken by the Treasury under the Counter Terrorism Act 2008 against Bank Mellat and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines was used specifically to mitigate the risks posed to the UK national interest by activity in Iran that facilitates the development or production of nuclear weapons. Where the Government identify such activities, they are committed to acting to curtail them.
	We are clear that if Iran does not engage seriously in negotiations to restore the international community's confidence in its nuclear programme, multilateral sanctions will be required. We are working closely with other EU member states to ensure that the EU is in a position to enact measures if this should prove necessary. At the present, the content of this work must remain confidential, but I will inform the House when it is possible to discuss these measures in more detail.

Iran: Religious Freedom

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation of the Jewish community in Iran since July 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The situation of the Jewish community in Iran has long been of concern to us. Its members have suffered discrimination under the Islamic Republic: for example, Iranian Jews are barred from running for President, and from a number of professions, such as the armed forces. President Ahmadinejad's repeated denials of the Holocaust-most recently at the UN General Assembly in September-only serve to increase our concern.
	We have been disturbed by the Iranian authorities' response to the protests that followed the disputed June 2009 presidential election, and in particular by the death and imprisonment sentences handed down in recent days. One of those convicted was the Jewish teenager, Yaghoghil Shaolian. He has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. We are seeking more information about his case, as well as those of the other defendants, and will raise our concerns with the Iranian authorities, since those convicted and sentenced appear to have been denied a fair trial.

Kenya: Poltics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Kenya on the missed interim deadline for the establishment of a local tribunal to try those accused of orchestrating the violence which followed the elections in that country in December 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK is concerned that no action has been taken on bringing to justice those accused of orchestrating Kenya's post-election violence in 2007, neither by a special tribunal nor referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC). With our EU partners and other like-minded countries we are continuing to make clear that credible action is necessary.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary encouraged Kenya's reform process, including tackling impunity and post-election violence, during his meeting with Prime Minister Odinga in London last July. Since then my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for International Development and the former Minister of State for Africa have also encouraged the Kenyan Government to establish a credible tribunal to investigate and prosecute those responsible.
	The Government support the role being played by Kofi Annan and endorses his proposal that the ICC continue its discussions with the Kenyan Government to achieve justice. We continue to believe action on impunity is needed to prevent future violence and to send a strong message that Kenyans will not tolerate violence.

Maritime Navigation

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the Government to ratify the 2005 Protocol to the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 15 October 2009
	 The Government remain committed to ratifying the protocol which we signed in January 2007, although we do not yet have a firm timetable for introduction of the required Bill into Parliament.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to seek endorsement by the United Nations Security Council of the recommendations for action contained in the report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict.

Ivan Lewis: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said on 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 762, the report
	"did not do enough to recognise Israel's right to self-defence but,... did raise serious issues that democratic governments should address through ... [a] full and independent inquiry".
	Given our concerns about the report, we will not be seeking its endorsement by the UN Security Council. But we will continue with our international partners to condemn Hamas' use of terrorism and press Israel to conduct a proper independent inquiry.

Middle East: Gas

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the proposed agreement between British Gas and the Israel Electric Corporation to purchase gas from the Gaza Marine Field; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have not received any recent representations on this issue.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in restarting negotiations on the Middle East Peace Process; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The US Administration, from the President down, have made clear their commitment to restarting negotiations and continue to work towards that goal. We are offering them our full support, as I made clear to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 11 October 2009. While significant obstacles undoubtedly remain, the alternatives to credible negotiations towards a two-state solution are far worse.

NATO: Young People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on the involvement of young people in the UK in NATO activities.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions with his North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) counterparts on this issue.
	NATO is currently in the process of producing its new Strategic Concept, which will set the Alliance's direction for the coming years. We support the Secretary General's efforts to make this as consultative as possible. That includes setting up an online discussion forum through which members of the public, including young people in the UK, can give their views on the future priorities of the Alliance. It can be found at:
	http://natostratcon.info/forum/
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also supports the work of the Atlantic Council UK which has recently set up a Youth Chapter and will begin a schools programme next month designed to increase awareness among young people in this country of the important work NATO does.
	Through our contributions to NATO's civil budget we also support the work of the Alliance's Public Diplomacy division, which hosts a number of youth events. These include youth summits held in the margins of NATO's annual summits, the most recent of which took place in April.

Northern Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the  (a) area and  (b) proportion of Greek Cypriot-owned land in northern Cyprus that has been (i) sold by the administration in northern Cyprus and (ii) developed by Turkish Cypriots (A) following the invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and (B) since the referendum in 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government have made no such estimates.

Northern Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of the population of northern Cyprus constituted by  (a) Turkish Cypriots and  (b) Turkish settlers; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government have made no such estimate.

Northern Cyprus: Economic Situation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the state of the economy in northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The current situation hinders the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot economy. We welcome the EU's commitment to support the development of the Turkish Cypriot community through financial aid and trade liberalisation. However, only an agreed settlement can provide the Turkish Cypriots with the full benefits of EU membership.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take to encourage the Pakistani Government to repeal laws which discriminate against Christians.

Ivan Lewis: The UK supports freedom of religion and condemns persecution because of faith or religious belief. We view the difficult situation facing religious minorities with concern and regularly raise human rights concerns both bilaterally with the Government of Pakistan and together with our EU partners.
	Alongside our EU partners the UK continues to encourage the Government of Pakistan to repeal or amend the blasphemy laws to reduce the misuse of legislation to discriminate against minority groups, including Christians. In December 2008 the EU called upon the Government of Pakistan to promote tolerance, to effectively protect freedom of belief and expression, and to reform discriminatory laws such as the blasphemy laws. In August 2009 the EU also raised the attacks on Christians in Gojra and Koiran in Punjab.
	We continue to encourage Pakistan to fulfil it commitments under the UN Human Rights Council. During the last Periodic Review in May 2008 we secured a commitment from the Government of Pakistan that checks would be introduced to regulate investigations into allegations of blasphemy that affect minority groups.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The UK has made clear its support for Egyptian-sponsored efforts to build a non-partisan, technocratic Palestinian Government, which would be capable of working productively with the international community.

Papua: Violence

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the upsurge of violence in West Papua; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: There has been an increase in sporadic violent incidents in the Indonesian province of Papua over the last six months. There was an initial upsurge around the time of the April 2009 parliamentary elections, primarily in Puncak Jaya and Jayawijaya districts and Nabire and Abepura towns. There have been further incidents over the last three months in Mimika district in which an Australian national and a number of Indonesian police officers were killed. According to our embassy contacts, the Indonesian policing response to these incidents is generally considered to have been measured.
	We recognise that real challenges remain in Papua. Our ambassador visited Papua last month and discussed these issues with the Indonesian authorities. He emphasised the need to fully and transparently investigate any allegations of human rights abuses.

Sudan: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the security situation in the refugee camps along the Chad-Sudan border, particularly for women and girls; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The security situation along the Chad-Sudan border is of concern. The UK strongly supports both the UN peacekeeping force, MINURCAT, which helps to protect refugee camps in eastern Chad, and the joint African Union-UN Peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) which helps to protect civilians in Darfur.
	UK officials met with the UN Special Representative for the United Nations Mission in Central African Republic and Chad last month and discussed sexual and gender based violence as well as security issues in Eastern Chad.
	The UK led on the renewal of UNAMID's mandate in July of this year, which focuses UNAMID on a number of key tasks, including protection of civilians. The renewed mandate also specifically tasks the UN Secretary-General with developing a comprehensive strategy for providing protection to women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK's commitment to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan is; and what personnel the UK has trusted in support of this commitment.

Ivan Lewis: The UK believes the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is the foundation of future peace and stability in Sudan. The UK was one of the witnesses to the signing of the CPA in 2005 and we are committed to its full implementation, including the referendum on self-determination for South Sudan in January 2011.
	Ministers are closely engaged in leading the UK's efforts in Sudan. My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department for International Development visited Sudan earlier this month and will be meeting with both parties in North and South Sudan to urge them to accelerate implementation of the CPA.
	The UK has a strong Government team working on Sudan, led by the UK Special Representative for Sudan, together with our ambassador in Khartoum. We also fund Sir Derek Plumbly as Chairman of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC), the organisation in Sudan charged with monitoring implementation of the CPA.
	DFID has a major programme of development assistance to Sudan, with a budget of £115 million for 2009-10, and we provide significant support to both UN missions in Sudan, including deployment of UK military officers.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken on the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan in its role as a co-signatory to the Agreement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK believes the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is the foundation of future peace and stability in Sudan and was one of the witnesses to the signing of the CPA in 2005. We are committed to its full implementation, including the referendum on self-determination for South Sudan in January 2011.
	The UK has been working closely with partners, including the US and its Special Envoy to Sudan, General Gration, to urge both the National Congress Party and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement to make urgent progress on the outstanding CPA milestones.
	My hon. Friend the Minister of State for International Development visited Sudan earlier this month and urged both parties in north and south to ensure that the remaining issues are resolved, including preparations for the elections next year and referendum in 2011. He also underlined the importance that the UK attaches to free and fair elections.
	The UK has worked actively to ensure that the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in July over the boundary of the Abyei area is accepted by both parties. Implementation of the decision is now progressing slowly and we continue to urge timely and peaceful progress. We are concerned that the broader north-south border demarcation process is stalled and have pressed both parties to resolve the remaining areas of contention.
	The UK is also working to ensure that critical post-referendum issues, such as wealth-sharing and citizenship rights, are addressed by both parties. These need to be agreed by north and south in advance of the referendum, whatever its outcome, to help ensure that the decision is peaceful. We are supporting work through Chatham House in this area.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on measures to strengthen the Assessment and Evaluation Committee on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK strongly supports the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC) in Sudan and the work it undertakes to monitor implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
	We secured the appointment of Sir Derek Plumbly, a retired UK diplomat, as Chair of the AEC in March 2008 and Sir Derek has worked actively to strengthen the role of the AEC. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for International Development met with Sir Derek during his visit to Sudan last week.
	The AEC has been active and instrumental in delivering progress on the CPA: senior representatives from both the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement and the National Congress Party sit on the AEC, with a number of members and observers drawn from the witnesses to the Agreement, and this has provided a forum for open dialogue on the various CPA issues. There are a number of AEC Working Groups that address the various issues, including Power Sharing, Wealth Sharing, Security and the Three Areas.
	The UK is active in both the AEC plenary meetings and all of its working groups. We continue to work to support the AEC and ensure that it continues to play a central role in implementation of the CPA.

Telecommunications

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to  (a) the Government of Turkey,  (b) the Government of Cyprus and  (c) the administration in Northern Cyprus on improving communications across the Green Line in respect of  (a) the routing of and  (b) charges for mobile telephone and internet services.

Chris Bryant: It is clear that the separate telecommunications systems that exist on either side of the Green Line inhibit cost-effective communication between north and south. The Government would welcome any initiatives that would enhance communication between the two communities. We continue to discuss this issue and possible confidence building measures with both communities.

Temple Mount

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of stones being thrown at a group of Christian tourists entering the site of the Temple Mount on 27 September 2009; what recent discussions he has had with the Palestinian Authority on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are very concerned by the recent tensions and clashes in Jerusalem. We continue to call on all sides to refrain from proactive action. This holy city is important to Israelis and Palestinians, and to people of three great faiths. Incitement from any quarter does not serve the cause of peace, and must stop.

Terrorism: Finance

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sources of illicit funding for the Taliban his Department has identified other than that derived from the narcotics trade; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The illicit narcotics trade continues to provide a significant source of income for the Taliban. Other sources of funds are foreign donations, local contributions, illegitimate taxes, ransom for kidnapping, and extortion and smuggling. We are working with our international partners, and through established mechanisms like the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 sanctions regime, to identify and eliminate the Taliban's access to these funding sources.

Treaty of Lisbon

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to hold a referendum on UK ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: No.

Uganda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of UK policy towards Uganda of any discovery of new oilfields in that country.

Ivan Lewis: Oil companies operating in Uganda have announced significant new discoveries this year in the Albertine Rift Valley region in Western Uganda. Technical and financial challenges remain, but current projections suggest that Uganda could become an oil producing nation within a few years. Oil resources could, if properly managed, help to strengthen Uganda's economy and development prospects.
	The UK has urged the Government of Uganda to design and implement sound and transparent strategies for harnessing oil resources that support peaceful economic and political development.

Uganda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Uganda on the subject of refugees from Sudan in that country.

Ivan Lewis: None

Uganda: Armed Conflict

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the status of the peace negotiations with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is; what recent reports he has received of countries where the LRA is active; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) agreed a peace settlement, the Final Peace Agreement (FPA), in April 2008 after almost two years of negotiations mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan. However the LRA has yet to honour its commitment to sign the final peace agreement.
	The LRA are known to be operating in Southern Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
	The Government regularly discuss LRA activity with the Government of Uganda, and stress the importance of both continued regional cooperation to deal with the threat and protecting civilian populations from LRA attacks.
	At the recent UN General Assembly Ministerial week, my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Ivan Lewis) discussed the LRA with Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa. Our posts in Kampala, Juba, Khartoum, Yaounde and Kinshasa continue to monitor the situation closely, and have raised the issue with other interested parties, including the UN.

UN Security Council

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the papers submitted by the Government to the meeting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council held in London on 3 and 4 September.

Ivan Lewis: The UK conference considered confidence building, verification and compliance challenges associated with achieving further progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The conference was the first time that senior policy-makers, military officials and technical experts from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5) had met to discuss such issues. The P5 agreed that the conference would be held behind closed doors to facilitate full and frank discussion. The P5 issued a statement summarising the discussions after the conference.

UN: Young People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on involvement of young people from the UK in UN activities.

Ivan Lewis: We strongly welcome interest from British young people on discussions with UN and other counterparts and encourage their involvement in appropriate activities. We are also very active on this issue in London. For example last year my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary hosted a reception for the UN Association's Young Professionals Network (YPN). The YPN brings together young professionals in their twenties and thirties who have a passion for international affairs and who support a strong role for the UN in responding to global challenges. A similar reception will be held in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) later this month.
	We are also in close contact with the various Model UN groupings, and representatives from the FCO attend (and speak) at many of their conferences. We are able to provide small amounts of funding to allow these events to take place.
	We regularly organise briefings to Model UN groups when they visit New York.

United Nations: Meetings

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters were discussed at the meeting of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in London on 3 and 4 September 2009; and what agreements were reached.

Ivan Lewis: The UK hosted a conference of senior policy-makers, military officials and technical experts from the P5 (Russia, China, the US, the UK and France) on 3-4 September 2009 to consider the confidence building, verification and compliance challenges associated with achieving further progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
	The discussions covered ways to increase mutual understanding by sharing definitions of nuclear terminology and information about nuclear doctrines and capabilities; presentations on enhancing strategic stability; ways to build mutual confidence through voluntary transparency; and the international challenges associated with responding to nuclear accidents. The P5 undertook to consider ways to co-operate to address these challenges, and released a statement after the meeting.

Yvonne Fletcher

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the Cabinet Office inquiry into the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher.

Ivan Lewis: The Government have no plans to place in the Library of the House a report relating to the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. A Metropolitan Police Service investigation into her murder is ongoing.

Yvonne Fletcher

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet  (a) the Metropolitan Police Service and  (b) his Libyan counterpart to discuss the investigation into the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will meet with the Metropolitan Police Service and the family of WPC Fletcher on Thursday 22 October 2009 to discuss the investigation into the murder of WPC Fletcher. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also meet regularly with the Metropolitan Police to receive updates. The most recent meeting was on Friday 16 October 2009. No meeting is currently scheduled with the Foreign Secretary's Libyan counterpart.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Creativity and Business International Network

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has budgeted for expenditure on the Creativity and Business International Network forum event to be held from 26 to 28 October 2009 at The Grove in Hertfordshire.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend, the Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, gave him on 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1210W. The cost of the event at the Grove is included within the £3 million allocated to this project for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to reply to the letter dated 22 July 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton concerning Ms G. Hine.

Ben Bradshaw: A response was sent on 8 September 2009.

Television: Licensing

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in Leeds, Leeds West constituency receive a free television licence.

Si�n Simon: Free television licences are administered for people aged 75 or over by TV Licensing as agents for the BBC. This is a matter for the BBC and my Department does not hold this information. I understand that the BBC cannot provide a breakdown of the licences distributed by constituency, but rather stores this information by postcode.

Television: Licensing

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in  (a) Derbyshire and  (b) North East Derbyshire receive a free television licence.

Si�n Simon: Free television licences are administered for people aged 75 or over by TV Licensing as agents for the BBC. This is a matter for the BBC and my Department does not hold this information. I understand that the BBC cannot provide a breakdown of the licences distributed by county, but rather stores this information by postcode.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

General Elections

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what information the Electoral Commission has collected about the number of local authorities considering commencing their counts at the next general election on the day after polling day.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it wrote to Returning Officers for all UK parliamentary constituencies in September 2009 requesting information about when they intend to begin the counting of ballot papers for the UK parliamentary general election.
	As of 21 October 2009, the Commission informs me that it had received responses from Returning Officers for 247 out of 650 constituencies. Returning Officers for 134 constituencies reported that they planned to begin counting on the evening of polling day. Returning Officers for 27 constituencies reported that they planned to begin counting on the morning of the day following polling day. Returning Officers for 86 constituencies reported that they had not yet decided when they would begin counting. Over the coming weeks the Commission will be actively seeking responses from Returning Officers who have yet to reply.
	A spreadsheet detailing responses received by constituency, at 21 October 2009, has been placed in the House of Commons Library. This information is also available on the Commission website and will be updated regularly.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Members: Allowances

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many hon. Members have returned monies to the House in respect of expenses claims; and how much has been repaid in each such case.

Nick Harvey: From 1 April to 21 October 2009, 260 Members and former Members made repayments of sums received as allowances totalling some £637,000. (This does not include all routine repayments arising from items such as refunds on utility bills and repayment of rental deposits.) More detailed information cannot be given without further checking, including checking by the Members concerned.

Members: Allowances

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse of Sir Thomas Legg's analysis of hon. Members' expenses claims.

Nick Harvey: The review is expected to cost approximately £1.1 million.

Members: Allowances

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what information is held by the House of Commons Commission on the tax liability of hon. Members in relation to their expenses claims.

Nick Harvey: The House does not hold information about the individual tax liability of Members. However, the House does provide Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs with details of taxable expenses and benefits in kind, by 6 July after the end of each tax year. The information passed to HMRC is also sent to individual Members in advance.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equality Bill

David Taylor: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many of the responses received to the consultation on the public sector equality duties proposed in the Equality Bill were from faith-based organisations working in the public sector.

Michael Jabez Foster: The consultation on the specific duties closed on 30 September. We are currently working through the responses and will publish an analysis in due course.
	The single Equality Duty we are bringing in through our Equality Bill will place a new legal requirement on public bodies to consider how they can design and deliver services in ways that will tackle discrimination and advance equality for people of different religions and those of none-resulting in better, more responsive and more personalised services for all.

DEFENCE

Monitor Group

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had (i) meetings with, (ii) communications from and (iii) other contacts within the last five years; and what the subject matter of any contact was in each case.

Bob Ainsworth: Ministers have not met or communicated with the Monitor Group; information regarding departmental officials is not held centrally.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service families have been placed by Modern Housing Solutions in  (a) Premier Travel Inns and  (b) other hotels in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: For information related to 2005 to June 2007, the hon. Member is referred to the answer given by my predecessor on 26 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1246W, to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey).
	Information on the number of service families placed in Premier Travel Inns or other hotels between July 2007 and today is not held centrally. I will therefore write to the hon. Member with the information requested once it has been collated.
	 Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Willie Rennie:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question of 19 October 2009 (Official Report, column 1219W) regarding how many Service families have been placed in Premier Travel Inns and other hotels by Modern Housing Solutions (MHS) in each year since 2005.
	MHS are the Housing Prime Contractor with responsibility for the repair and maintenance of approximately 44,000 Service Family Accommodation homes in England and Wales. They provide a full 24 hour, 365 day a year service in order to ensure all domestic repair emergencies are resolved as quickly as possible and with the minimum of inconvenience to Service families.
	However, there will always be some cases where domestic emergencies such as fires or floods cannot be immediately resolved, and therefore it will occasionally be necessary to provide alternative accommodation to families while remedial works are carried out. The MOD always seeks to use Service accommodation for this purpose. However, where this is not available it may be necessary to place families in hotel accommodation.
	The number of families placed in hotel accommodation each year since 1 January 2006, the start of the Housing Prime Contract, is as follows:
	
		
			   Premier Travel Inns  Other hotels 
			 2006 9 46 
			 2007 15 51 
			 2008 36 82 
			 2009(1) 77 115 
			 (1 )To 14 October. 
		
	
	I hope this information is helpful.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2124W, on armed forces: housing 
	(1)  for what reasons each of the charges set out in the answer were incurred;
	(2)  how many claims for damage to Modern Housing Solutions housing were made in each year for which information is available.

Kevan Jones: The number of claims for damage invoices raised against occupants of service family accommodation (SFA) for damage to property is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Period  Number of invoices raised 
			 1 November 2007 to 31 March 2008(1) 735 
			 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009(2) 3,843 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 August 2009(2) 1,563 
			 (1 )GB.  (2 )UK. 
		
	
	These figures represent single invoices raised and cover all SFA properties including those not maintained by Modern Housing Solutions. Invoices may cover several items of damage caused by an occupant. A full breakdown of all invoices could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Medical Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel from the Surgeon General's Department were based in  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales,  (c) England,  (d) Northern Ireland,  (e) Cyprus and  (f) Germany in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 16 September 2009
	The Surgeon General's Department (SGD) is the central policy and secretariat division of the Defence Medical Services. Its staff include uniformed personnel who are serving members of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF Medical Services, as well as civilians. As at 1 October 2009, it had 160 staff (figure rounded to the nearest 10) all of whom were based in England. Figures for previous years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people resident in each  (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area in Northern Ireland have served in the armed forces in each of the last 10 years.

Kevan Jones: Residential address information for serving or ex-service personnel is not held with reference to country, parliamentary constituency or local authority. Further, there are significant questions over the accuracy and completeness of what is held; for example, some ex-service personnel do not provide a valid contact address on leaving the services or do not notify the MOD of a change of address if they move. The answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people resident in each  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) local authority area in Northern Ireland were recruited to each branch of the armed forces in each of the last 10 years; and what the total from each community was.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held in the form requested. However, details of those recruited through the Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO) in Belfast, in the following table, give an indication of Northern Ireland recruitment into the armed forces.
	Please note that this information will not provide a comprehensive picture of individuals recruited from Northern Ireland as it does not include those recruited through AFCOs elsewhere or through other means, such as the internet.
	
		
			   Number recruited through AFCO Belfast 2008-09 
			 Naval Services 46 
			 Army 294 
			 RAF 25

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people from each  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) local authority area in Northern Ireland serving in the armed forces have been decorated for bravery in each of the last 10 years.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held in the format requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what policy the armed forces operate on the recruitment of people with  (a) Asperger's syndrome and  (b) autism; and whether any positions in each service are not open to people with (i) Asperger's syndrome and (ii) autism.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 20 October 2009
	The tri-Service medical entry standards are contained within Joint Services Publication (JSP) 346, which advises that candidates with Asperger's syndrome and autism are not suitable for recruitment into any post in the Armed Forces. The only exception is where a potential recruit presents with a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome but on examination appears to exhibit none of the symptoms of the condition. While those with a confirmed diagnosis should normally be graded as unsuitable, it is recognised that there are instances when the original diagnosis may have been made in error, based on unusual adolescent behaviour which has resolved. In these doubtful cases further referral will normally be recommended before a final decision is made.
	It is our policy that armed forces personnel should be recruited to be fully fit for deployment worldwide on operations. For this reason, the services do not recruit or commission personnel with existing medical conditions which may adversely impact on the effectiveness of the armed forces, or which may themselves be exacerbated by military circumstances. This is particularly relevant in cases of individuals with autism or Asperger's Syndrome, as military personnel are expected to perform in multiple roles, which may be difficult for someone suffering from these disorders. Further, all military personnel are required to work in close-knit teams, and in operational environments the pressures are such that anyone with significant disability in social interaction may well be a danger to themselves or their team. These two diagnoses have significant disability in social interaction as part of their defining features.
	While it may be possible to retain in-service individuals who are already serving and are subsequently diagnosed as autistic or suffering from Asperger's (provided that there are worthwhile military roles for them to fulfil), this will normally mean that they will have to be re-graded and will not be able to deploy on operations. This also applies to other disabilities which might arise while an individual is in service but the forces do not recruit individuals where they would only be able to serve from the outset in a medically restricted capacity.

Browndown Training Facility

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the Browndown training facility at Gosport; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: As part of ongoing efficiency work, and a departmental-wide exercise to deliver savings, the Department has conducted a review of its operations and identified a number of rationalisation measures. Browndown Camp has been included within this review. While no firm decision on the future of this facility has yet been taken, it is anticipated that parts of Browndown, in particular the dry training area, will continue to be used.

Charities

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: The total amounts made as grants in aid are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 30,817,129 
			 2004-05 31,897,153 
			 2005-06 31,604,136 
			 2006-07 30,335,751 
			 2007-08 32,218,493 
		
	
	A number of organisations receive grants in aid from the MOD including Voluntary Cadet Groups (Naval Cadet Force, Army Cadet Force, Air Training Corps and Combined Cadet Force), Museums, Forces Welfare organisations such as the Sailors, Soldiers, Air Forces and Families Association (SSAFA), Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS), Help Information Voluntary Exchange (HIVE) and sports bodies.
	Smaller charitable grants are made by each of the single services to organisations with which they are closely affiliated. The amounts involved are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Colombia: Military Aid

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department  (a) provides and  (b) sponsors (i) advisory visits and (ii) information exchanges on military operations and tactics in urban theatres to Colombia; when the last such visit or exchange took place; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Advisory visits and information exchanges between the UK and Colombia on military operations and tactics in urban theatres no longer take place. Historic records of visits and exchanges are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent  (a) in England,  (b) in Wales,  (c) in Northern Ireland and  (d) overseas on (i) equipment, (ii) non-equipment expenditure, (iii) service personnel costs and (iv) civil personnel costs in each year since 1997.

Kevan Jones: Estimated direct MOD expenditure for the sub-UK areas and categories requested for the years where data are available are provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  England 
			  £ million at current prices (VAT exclusive) 
			   1998-99  1999-00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Total (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 19,780 21,020 21,100 22,910 23,450 23,320 
			  Of which:   
			 Equipment expenditure n/a n/a n/a n/a 8,230 8,380 8,350 9,350 9,620 9,910 
			 Non Equipment expenditure n/a n/a n/a n/a 4,190 4,830 4,900 5,320 5,610 5,280 
			 Service personnel costs n/a 2,940 2,980 5,130 5,460 6,070 5,970 6,190 6,270 6,220 
			 Civilian personnel cost 1,760 1,830 1,780 1,780 1,900 1,740 1,880 2,050 1,950 1,910 
		
	
	
		
			  Wales 
			  £ million at current prices (VAT exclusive) 
			   1998-99  1999-00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Total (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 340 430 370 380 400 390 
			  Of which:   
			 Equipment expenditure n/a n/a n/a n/a 100 130 110 100 120 130 
			 Non Equipment expenditure n/a n/a n/a n/a 90 140 100 120 100 80 
			 Service personnel costs n/a 70 60 100 110 120 120 120 140 140 
			 Civilian personnel cost 40 40 40 30 40 40 40 40 40 40 
		
	
	
		
			  Northern Ireland 
			  £ million at current prices (VAT exclusive) 
			   1998-99  1999-00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Total (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 540 550 500 550 590 650 
			  Of which:   
			 Equipment expenditure n/a n/a n/a n/a 120 90 60 70 60 120 
			 Non Equipment expenditure n/a n/a n/a n/a 70 90 70 110 140 140 
			 Service personnel costs n/a 180 170 250 270 300 290 280 300 300 
			 Civilian personnel cost 70 70 70 70 80 70 80 90 90 90 
		
	
	
		
			  Overseas 
			  £ million at current prices (VAT exclusive) 
			   1998-99  1999-00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Total (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- 2,870 3,260 3,480 3,760 3,990 4,440 
			  Of which:   
			 Equipment expenditure n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,260 1,470 1,710 1,880 2,170 2,630 
			 Non Equipment expenditure n/a n/a n/a n/a 150 180 140 160 160 160 
			 Service personnel costs n/a n/a n/a 1,010 1,080 1,190 1,180 1,230 1,150 1,140 
			 Civilian personnel cost 230 240 230 330 380 420 450 490 510 510 
			 n/a = Denotes that data were not available for all the sub UK areas for these years. (1) Denotes not applicable.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 million. 2. Indirect expenditure, such as subcontracted work, is not reflected in these figures. 3. Personnel costs exclude contributions made by MOD to the Armed Forces Pensions Scheme and War Pensions Scheme. 4. Reliable data for equipment and non equipment expenditure are not available for all the sub UK areas for the years prior to 2002-03. 
		
	
	The defence budget is not formally allocated at sub-UK level. Defence Procurement provides the UK armed forces with the equipment needed as efficiently as possible to deliver the best value for money for the armed forces regardless of where the items are procured or MOD personnel are located. The Defence Budget is planned on this basis to achieve the optimum allocation of resources in relation to current defence objectives and priorities.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helplines his Department operates; and how much his Department has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years.

Kevan Jones: The provision of helplines is determined at local level in accordance with individual business requirements and obtained directly from the supplier. Records of such helplines are not held centrally and information relating to them, including any revenue accrued, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

News International

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had (i) meetings with, (ii) communications from and (iii) other contacts with News International in the last five years; and what the subject matter of any contact was in each case.

Bob Ainsworth: In the course of accounting for the Department's work through the media, Ministers and officials deal with News International representatives on a regular basis. No central record of this routine business is held.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many  (a) armed forces personnel and  (b) veterans have received treatment for (i) mental health problems, (ii) alcohol addiction and (iii) drug abuse since 2001;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of military personnel who have served or are serving in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan have been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder;
	(3)  how many new diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder there have been since 2001.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson) on 12 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 416-417W.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who within his Department took the decision to cease Territorial Army training until 1 April 2010; and whether regular unit personnel  (a) attached to and  (b) working in Territorial Army units will be paid up to 1 April 2010.

Bill Rammell: Like all Government Departments, the Ministry of Defence routinely reviews expenditure to ensure that we allocate our resources where they are needed most and success in Afghanistan must take priority. Accordingly, senior officials discussed emerging budgetary pressures in the summer and then asked all budget holders within the Department to review all uncommitted funding. The plan to restrict Territorial Army activity for the remainder of the current financial year was one of a number of cost saving proposals put forward by the Chief of the General Staff and endorsed by the Defence Secretary.
	Regular Army personnel attached to TA units will continue to work and be paid during the period of restrictions.

Territorial Army

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of Territorial Army (TA) reservists who will leave the TA as a result of the proposed six month stand-down of the TA;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the reduction in expenditure which will accrue from the six-month stand-down of the Territorial Army.

Bill Rammell: We are absolutely committed to ensuring that the front-line is properly resourced, and that the mission in Afghanistan will have all the backing it needs to succeed. All personnel, both regular and reserve, currently earmarked for operations will be provided with the training they need before deployment and be paid for it. The suspension for the remainder of this financial year of Territorial Army (TA) activity not directly supporting operations will contribute £20 million to a total saving of £43 million in the TA budget this year.
	The reductions in normal activity are, of course, disappointing for TA members. We hope that the majority will understand the reasons behind these restrictions and the exceptional circumstances in which they are being applied. We are confident that reservists will stay to resume training when the restrictions are lifted.

Territorial Army

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Territorial Army (TA) reservists in  (a) Pembrokeshire and  (b) Wales will receive no (i) pay and (ii) training during the proposed six month stand-down of the TA;
	(2)  how many Territorial Army (TA) reservists in  (a) Pembrokeshire and  (b) Wales will continue to receive operational training before deployment on operations during the proposed six month stand-down of the TA;
	(3)  how many Territorial Army reservists from  (a) Pembrokeshire and  (b) Wales have served in operations in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Iraq since 2002;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the role and effectiveness of the Territorial Army in Wales.

Bill Rammell: The Territorial Army (TA) continues to play a vital role in support of the Regular Army, not least on operations in Afghanistan. TA personnel in Wales offer a variety of essential skills and capabilities including infantry, artillery, medical, engineers and transport.
	The current period of restricted activity does not affect those TA personnel preparing for operations or those new recruits in Phase 1 (initial) training. Approximately 2,300 TA personnel are attached to TA units based in Wales. Of these 30 are attached to units based in Pembrokeshire. Of the 2300, 60 are currently on operations, a further 120 are currently training for operations and a further 420 are in Phase 1 training. Fewer than 10 of the 30 personnel attached to units based in Pembrokeshire are currently training for operations; and a further 10 are in Phase 1 training. None is currently mobilised. All TA personnel will be provided with opportunities to undertake activities required to meet the minimum standard to qualify for their bounty this year, if they have not already done so.
	Approximately 930 TA personnel have mobilised to serve on operations overseas from units based in Wales since 2003. Of these fewer than 10 have deployed from units based in Pembrokeshire. These figures include small numbers of personnel who deployed on operations other than in Afghanistan and Iraq. Information prior to 2003 and on numbers who have deployed to specific operational theatres is not held centrally.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the stoppage of payments for the Territorial Army training until 31 March 2010 is being applied in respect of  (a) Royal Marines Reserve,  (b) 2/3 Regiment Special Air Service and  (c) 4th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment.

Bill Rammell: The restrictions being applied this financial year to Territorial Army training affect only those units that are funded from the Land Forces budget. This includes 4th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. The Royal Marines Reserves receive their funding by other routes. It is the long-standing practice of this Department not to comment upon Special Forces.

Territorial Army: Civil Contingency Reaction Forces

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether members of the Territorial Army will be paid if they are called out as part of the Civil Contingency Reaction Force in the next six months; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: In response to a recommendation within the recent report on the Strategic Review of the Reserves, the current Civil Contingency Reaction Force structure has been discontinued as a role for regional Territorial Army units. However, joint regional liaison officer posts and brigade reinforcement teams have been retained within regional forces brigade headquarters to continue in a command and control framework providing the necessary link with the civilian authorities and emergency services.
	Support to operations remains the highest priority for Defence including support to United Kingdom operations. Territorial Army personnel who are called out in support of any operation will be entitled to remuneration in accordance with normal, extant policy.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departmental Flexible Working

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what flexi-time arrangements were available to staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and how many staff participated in such arrangements in each such year.

Barbara Follett: Flexi-time arrangements are just one of many flexible working arrangements that are available to staff.
	Participants in the flexi time arrangement are required to be present during certain hours of the day, known as core-time. However, subject to operational needs and line management agreement, participants may start and finish work each day at the times they choose during the flexible range (ie the hours before and after core-time), provided they complete their net conditioned hours exclusive of lunch-breaks (36 hours per week in London and 37 elsewhere) during the agreed accounting period.
	
		
			   Hours 
			 Flexible starting period 07.30-10.00 
			 Core-time 10.00-12.00 
			 Flexible lunch break 12.00-14.30 
			 Core-time 14.30-16.00 
			 Flexible finishing period 16.00-20.30 
		
	
	Subject to the workflow and reasonable demands of the office, staff may accumulate in any accounting period a credit balance of up to 22.2 hours (21.6 hours in London) or a debit balance of up to 11.1 hours (10.8 hours in London). Staff should not arrive at work and finish work in such a way as to accumulate credit hours without regard to the proper needs of the office.
	Flexi time arrangements are delegated to line managers and no central record is kept. Therefore, the number of staff participating in such arrangements in each of the last five years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff there were in  (a) his Department's predecessor in 1997 and  (b) his Department on the latest date for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: Information about staff numbers in the Department of the Environment on 1 April 1997 are given in Civil Service Statistics 1997 which can be accessed via the link at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/who/statistics/archived-reports.aspx
	In accordance with the definition provided by the Office for National Statistics, there were 2,266 staff (full-time equivalent) in Communities and Local Government at 30 September 2009.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Barbara Follett: Figures for the Department's expenditure on hire vehicles for the last three years are tabled as follows. Figures for earlier years could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 48,444 
			 2007-08 57,250 
			 2008-09 25,657

Departmental Pay

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of his Department; what the purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1340W and to the reply given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1074W.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of procurement contracts  (a) his Department and its predecessor and  (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department and the Planning Inspectorate and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department is currently putting in place systems that will identify small and medium enterprises on its finance system which will allow this to be reported on in the future.
	However the Department's other agencies, Fire Service College and Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre were able to supply the following figures:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009( 1) 
			 Fire Service College 43 40 100 50 
			 QEII Conference Centre 36 32 33 29 
			 (1) To date

Departmental Recruitment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data his Department holds on the level of diversity in the recruitment of employees by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: Information on workforce diversity is published as part of our Disability Equality Scheme, Gender Equality Scheme, Race Equality Scheme and their related updates. These are available on our corporate web pages.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/publications/
	Our Workforce Diversity Data Reports, which also contain data on work force diversity and recruitment, have been published annually on our Workforce Equalities web pages since 2006; hard copies are also available on request.

Departmental Training

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of attendances on each such course.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not hold information on the number of external training courses attended by staff in the last 12 months centrally. External training courses are agreed by line managers and there would be a disproportionate cost in trying to obtain such information.

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its predecessor spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel and  (d) hotels for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: Figures for the Department's expenditure on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel and  (d) hotels for the last three years is tabled as follows. Figures for earlier years could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Car hire 695,296 658,041 576,085 
			 Rail 1,308,768 909,396 1,126,261 
			 Air 597,311 213,009 280,295 
			 Hotel 543,295 437,868 326,322 
			 Total 3,144,670 2,218,314 2,308,963 
		
	
	Figures for Ministers could be disaggregated from these totals only at disproportionate cost.
	Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively, and all spending on official entertainment is made in accordance with the principles set out in Managing Public Money.
	Later this year the Department will begin releasing the details of business expenses and hospitality received by senior officials. These will be published on our website on a quarterly basis.
	The Cabinet Office also publish an annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008-09 list can be viewed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today to the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening) to question 289978. Details of overnight accommodation overseas could be disaggregated only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the Cabinet Office publishes an annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008-09 list can be viewed at
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Disabled Facilities Grants

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) Government funding and  (b) total expenditure there has been on disabled facilities grants in England in each year since 2004-05; and how many such grants were awarded in each of those years.

Ian Austin: The following table shows the total expenditure on disabled facilities grants in England since 2004-05 and the funding contribution made by Government. Further details can be found on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/
	
		
			  Disabled facilities grant 
			   Government contribution (£)  Total expenditure including LA contribution (£)  Total number grants completed 
			 2004-05 99,572 210,922 38,552 
			 2005-06 111,294 221,289 34,975 
			 2006-07 120,723 232,828 37,267 
			 2007-08 138,250 259,389 38,129 
			 2008-09 146,081 274,356 (1)n/a 
			 2009-10 156,930 (1)n/a (1)n/a 
			 (1) Not yet published.

EC Grants and Loans

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, column 389W, on the European Commission, what the sterling equivalent is of the totals provided in euros in the answer.

Rosie Winterton: The sterling equivalent was £23 million.

EC Grants and Loans

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the size of the financial correction likely to be imposed by the European Commission in respect of irregularities in management of European funds in relation to those  (a) 1997-99 programmes and  (b) 2000-06 programmes for which his Department has responsibility.

Rosie Winterton: The financial correction imposed earlier this year by the Commission in respect of error rates found in two English 1997-99 programmes was £26 million. The departmental accounts for 2008-9 show (at note 29) a contingent liability of £215 million in respect of the 2000-2006 programmes. These liabilities are unlikely to be realised in full and the Department is taking steps to make sure that they are minimised. Only when all open audits are concluded and the programme closure reports have been submitted to the Commission on 31 March 2010, will we be able to assess what provision may be required against possible corrections by the European Commission.

Fire Brigades Union

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the Fire Brigades Union in the last 12 months; on what date each meeting was held; and whether the Fireguard project was discussed.

Shahid Malik: Ministers met formally with the representative of the Fire Brigades Union to discuss fire related issues on 22 October 2008; 17 December 2008; 9 March 2009; 5 May 2009 and the 8 July 2009. There is no record of the Fireguard project being discussed.

Fire Services

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance his Department has issued to fire and rescue authorities on the re-configuration of fire services in terms of the location of fire stations and fire appliances.

Shahid Malik: Decisions on operational issues such as the location of fire stations and fire appliances are taken by individual Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) as part of the Integrated Risk Management Planning process.
	FRAs are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. The IRMP enables the authority to tailor cover for fire and other incidents to local circumstances-evaluating where risk is greatest and allocating resource accordingly.
	A range of guidance on the drawing up of IRMPs has been issued to FRAs and is available on the Communities and Local Government website. The only recent change has been the revision of IRPM Guidance Note 4, which is not relevant to the location of fire stations and fire appliances.

Fire Services: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the total cost of delivery of the FiReControl project; and what estimates were made in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005,  (c) 2006,  (d) 2007 and  (e) 2008.

Shahid Malik: The current estimated overall cost of delivery of the FiReControl Project for  (a) 2004 was £120 million;  (b) 2005-£160 million;  (c) 2006-£190 million;  (d) 2007-£360 million; and  (e) 2008-£380 million.
	Early estimates of project costs did not include the funding that has been provided to FRAs to support local and regional implementation activity, the costs of the RCC building leases and the costs of equipment that will be installed in every fire station in England to support improved mobilisation.

Housing: Lighting

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether recent restrictions on the sale of incandescent light bulbs prohibit the sale of such bulbs for hereditaments which are not domestic dwellings.

Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
	EC Regulation 244/2009 under the Eco-design for Energy-using Products Framework Directive sets eco-design requirements on non-directional household lamps, including when they are marketed for non-household use.
	The measure effectively prevents incandescent lamps from being placed on the market over a three year period that began in September 2009; although retailers will be able to continue to sell any existing stock. As well as energy-efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps, other non-directional lamps such as LED and halogen lamps are to remain on the market as alternatives. These are available to fit existing fittings.

Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the likely timetable is for the commencement of each provision of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill if enacted.

Rosie Winterton: The arrangements for commencement of provisions contained in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill are set out in clauses 144 and 145 of the Bill. A number of the provisions contained in the Bill will come into force on a day specified by the Secretary of State. In these cases, as I informed the House in the context of Part 1 of the Bill ( Official Report, 13 October 2008, column 237) the Government are keeping all options for commencement open, including bringing provisions into force in April 2010.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data sets on  (a) council tax collection,  (b) business rate collection and  (c) other matters not contained in the national indicator set local authorities are required to provide to his Department.

Barbara Follett: The following data set on the collection of  (a) council tax and  (b) business rates by local authorities are collected by the Local Government Finance directorate in Communities and Local Government:
	BR-Budget Requirement
	NNDR-Non Domestic Rates Pool
	QRC-Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rate Collections
	CTB-Council Tax Base.
	Examples of the forms used to collect the data from local authorities can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/usefulinformation/formstimetable/otherforms/
	 (c) Communities and Local Government does not hold a central register of information and datasets collected from local authorities and to produce a definitive list of such collections would involve disproportionate cost. However, where it has been possible to readily identify such collections, these are in the following list.
	In addition to council tax and business rates information, the following finance information is collected:
	CER-Capital Estimates Return
	RA, SG and BID-Revenue Account Budgets and Business Improvement District Revenue Account Transactions
	CPR-Capital Payments and Receipts
	QB-Quarterly Borrowing and Lending
	QRW-Quarterly Return of Wages and Salaries
	MB-Monthly Borrowing and Lending
	RO-Revenue Outturn Suite
	COR-Capital Outturn Suite
	WGA-Whole of Government Accounts
	SF3-Pension Funds Account
	CFR-Capital Forecast Return
	BR-Budget Requirement.
	Local authorities voluntarily provide the Department with the following data returns, which are collected for uses such as to inform national policy direction. Those with an asterisk include some information which is used to calculate national indicators:
	P2 Quarterly Housebuilding*
	P1B-Sales of Council Dwellings (quarterly)
	PIE-Households affected by Homeless provisions of 1996 housing act (quarterly)*
	PSF-Combined development control PS1/PS2/FEE1 (quarterly)
	CPS1/2 and FEE2-General Development Control and Fees received for planning applications (quarterly)
	GTCC_M-Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Count (collected bi-annually)
	AGB-Annual Green Belt (annual)
	HFR-Housing Flows Reconciliation (annual)
	HSSA-Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (annual)
	BPAM-Business Plan Annual Monitoring (annual)
	NROSH-National Register of Social Housing
	ROHLMO-Register of Homes of Multiple Occupation
	ESEH-Electronic Survey of Empty Homes
	Mortgage Rescue Scheme return
	Quarterly Prevent report (through Government Offices)
	Local authorities inform the Department how many rough sleepers they find when they carry out a street count. The total number of rough sleepers found on street counts is published annually.
	The following datasets are collected from Fire and Rescue Services:
	Data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (including NI 33 and NI 49, but additional information is available to CLG through the automated collection system for production of National Statistics.
	HR data
	Community Fire Safety
	Fire Protection
	Financial data
	Health and Safety.

Local Government: Influenza

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 2 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 463-64W, on local government: influenza, if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the Local Resilience Forum plans that have undergone validation by each of the Government offices for the regions.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	Local Resilience Forum (LRF) multi-agency pandemic influenza plans are locally owned and are constantly adapted and updated to reflect the most accurate assessment of the local position. We do not hold central copies of the latest plans so are unable to place them in the Library. However, the latest plans can be found on local LRF websites and can be accessed through the UK Resilience pages of the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/pandemicflu/plans/regional_plans.aspx
	In the few cases where LRF websites are still under development, LRF multi-agency pandemic influenza plans are available from the LRF Secretariat. Contact details for the secretariats are also available on the UK Resilience pages of the Cabinet Office website.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 9 June 2009 on flood defences of listed buildings.

Barbara Follett: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 21 July 2009.

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average business rate bill has been in each Government office region in each year since 1997-98.

Barbara Follett: The average business rates bill in both England and in each Government Office region in each year since 1997-98, including the estimated average figures for 2009-10, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   North East  North West  Yorkshire and the Humber  East Midlands  West Midlands  East of England  London  South East  South West  England 
			 1997-98 5,501 5,215 5,381 5,716 5,686 7,026 10,057 7,208 7,087 6,796 
			 1998-99 5,978 5,589 5,869 6,142 6,250 7,125 10,433 7,759 5,295 7,016 
			 1999-2000 6,159 5,770 6,005 6,251 6,487 7,080 9,792 7,796 5,412 6,998 
			 2000-01 6,968 6,825 6,954 7,237 7,588 8,096 12,033 9,212 6,332 8,264 
			 2001-02 7,305 7,273 7,433 7,670 7,756 8,476 12,842 9,705 6,570 8,714 
			 2002-03 7,498 7,646 7,664 7,846 8,003 8,685 13,753 10,045 6,658 9,071 
			 2003-04 7,518 7,708 7,623 7,893 8,055 8,620 14,124 10,053 6,614 9,137 
			 2004-05 7,701 7,793 7,773 7,955 8,192 8,740 14,484 10,252 6,662 9,301 
			 2005-06 8,367 8,086 8,317 8,477 8,672 9,575 15,705 11,124 7,195 9,997 
			 2006-07 8,704 8,496 8,479 9,021 8,906 10,003 15,886 11,192 7,538 10,275 
			 2007-08 8,941 8,719 8,501 9,189 9,031 9,999 15,733 11,210 7,655 10,330 
			 2008-09 9,452 9,473 9,288 9,946 9,743 10,804 17,482 12,325 8,279 11,274 
			 2009-10 10,157 10,159 10,009 10,610 10,602 11,519 19,120 13,190 8,816 12,145 
		
	
	The data are taken from NNDR returns submitted by billing authorities.
	Average business rate is calculated by dividing the net rate yield from local authority's lists by the number of hereditaments on local list as at 31 December of the previous year.
	Comparisons across regions and years may not be valid as the rateable values for individual properties, and hence actual rates bills, vary greatly. Changes in the figures for the years around 2000-01 are affected by transfers of properties from the central list to local lists, transfers of crown properties to local lists and the adjustments made to the multiplier at the time of the 2000 revaluation to take account of losses from appeals. Changes in the figures for the years around 2005-06 are also affected by adjustments made to the multiplier at the time of the 2005 revaluation.

Political Impartiality

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the internal guidance to officials in his Department on politically-restricted activity.

Barbara Follett: Our staff handbook has been developed as an interactive publication delivered through the Department's intranet. It is not held in a format which allows it to be easily exported and therefore could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. However, the rules relating to political activity are set by the Cabinet Office and can be found in the Civil Service Management Code.

Retail Trade: Hygiene

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable he has set for the national roll-out of the scores on doors scheme for local authorities.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	The Food Standards Agency is establishing a national scores on the doors scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for rating hygiene standards in food businesses.
	The outline timetable for this is as follows:
	
		
			  Element of scheme  Date 
			 Scope and exemptions to scope (type of business to be included) By end October 2009 
			 Guidance on pre-launch/launch/migration issues for local authorities  
			 Data standard for use with the web-based IT platform for publishing scores  
			   
			 Derivation of numerical score and mapping of this to the different tiers of the scheme By end February 2010 
			 Safeguard mechanisms to ensure fairness to businesses  
			 Symbols, descriptors and branding for the scheme  
			   
			 Consistency framework for local authorities for scheme operation By end March 2010 
			   
			 Peer review arrangements and auditing of the scheme By end August 2010 
			 General guidance on all aspects of the scheme

Shops: Empty Property

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press release of 14 April 2009, on the empty shops revival plan, how many of the proposals referred to have been adopted by local authorities to date.

Barbara Follett: There has been widespread interest in the 'Looking After Our Town Centres' guide and there have been over 11,000 downloads of the document from our website since it was published in April this year. We are delivering the support we promised to help town centres, including the announcement in August this year of £3 million funding to help high streets that have been hardest hit by the recession.
	It is for local authorities to decide how to promote their town centres. We have highlighted approaches that are already being taken, but councils are not required to provide monitoring information to CLG. We continue to discuss issues affecting town centres with stakeholders and have supported good practice events. We know that several councils are adopting approaches inspired by the guide like using empty shops to display art work or information on the local area; seasonal festivals to attract visitors; free car parking on Saturdays, pop-up shops to try out new retail ideas, and fresh marketing initiatives.

Village Fetes: Food

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance the Foods Standards Agency has issued on the selling of home-cooked food at village fetes and community events; and what licences or permits are required for its sale.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	For community events or clubs, the most recent guidance regarding food hygiene rules and on good hygiene practice, as well as on the rules regarding labelling of foods is covered in a question and answer format on the Food Standards Agency's Eatwell website at:
	www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamevents/
	Guidance on food allergies with regard to non-prepacked foods can also be found on the agency's website at:
	www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/guidancenotes/labelregsguidance/nonprepacked
	No licence or permit is required for the sale of such foodstuffs at such events.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much in central Government grants, including  (a) specific and  (b) special grants, was given to local authorities for (i) waste collection and (ii) waste disposal in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available.

Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
	In 2008-09 Defra directly provided £78.2 million in funding to local authorities outside London via the Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant. £60 million will be made available to London authorities through the London Waste and Recycling Fund for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. These unringfenced capital grants will be paid to upper tier and unitary authorities to enable them to set up the necessary waste infrastructure to help England meet landfill targets.
	Defra also provides financial support to local authorities through Private Finance Initiative credits to help accelerate the building of the infrastructure needed to treat residual waste without compromising efforts to minimise waste and increase recycling levels. To date £2.5 billion has been allocated to 37 projects. Further information can be found on Defra's website.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) provided a total of £2.68 million to local authorities during 2008-09. The funds were spent on local communications campaigns specifically to improve communications with householders about local recycling services and to promote the 'Love Food Hate Waste' campaign. WRAP has no remit in relation to waste disposal and has not, therefore, provided any funds to local authorities in relation to it.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Government Assistance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies which have received support from UK Trade and Investment in the last 12 months have also received support from a regional development agency in that period.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 14 October 2009
	UKTI does not collate these figures. UKTI acts as the trade arm for the regional development agencies (RDAs), providing trade services for companies. Where companies have been helped by both UKTI and the RDAs, it will be on separate forms of business support.

Charities

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the charitable purposes of  (a) First Securitisation Company Limited and  (b) Capita IRG Trustees Limited.

Ian Lucas: The Department does not hold any information concerning charitable purposes of the First Securitisation Company Limited or Capita IRG Trustees Limited. Neither company is a registered charity.

Insolvency

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Statements of Insolvency Practice (SIP) 16 reports have not provided sufficient information to creditors on valuation and marketing; and how many insolvency practitioners have been recorded as failing to comply with SIP 16 reporting requirements.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 14 October 2009
	The Insolvency Service does not record SIP 16 information in a format that is readily able to identify how many SIP 16 reports have not provided sufficient information to creditors on valuation and marketing.
	To answer this part of the question would involve examining hundreds of separate reports. To determine which of those reports did not provide sufficient information regarding valuation and/or marketing would require significant staff resources, which would be in excess of the £750 disproportionate cost threshold.
	The Insolvency Service published a report on its' first six months monitoring of SIP 16 in July 2009. The report indicated that SIP 16 information provided in relation to 202 out of a total of 572 companies entering administration during the period was deemed to be not fully compliant. The Insolvency Service's monitoring of SIP 16 information is continuing and a further report will be published in the new year.
	It should be noted that the number of insolvency practitioners involved in the provision of non-compliant SIP 16 information is not the same as the figure indicated above. This is because the majority of insolvency practitioners undertaking pre-pack administrations, and therefore providing SIP 16 information, are appointed on multiple appointments. In addition, the majority of administration appointments are held by more than one insolvency practitioner on a joint basis.

Insolvency

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times officials of  (a) his Department and  (b) the Insolvency Service have met representatives of recognised professional bodies to discuss Statements of Insolvency Practice (SIP) 16 in the last 12 months; and what representations (i) his Department and (ii) the Insolvency Service has received from the insolvency industry on the implementation and review of SIP 16.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 14 October 2009
	The Insolvency Service carries out the Secretary of State's function with regard to both the direct authorisation of insolvency practitioners and the regulation of the recognised professional bodies that authorise the vast majority of insolvency practitioners. The Department has therefore not had any direct liaison with the recognised professional bodies on the issue of SIP 16 as this has been undertaken by the Insolvency Service.
	There have been three separate meetings during 2009 between the Insolvency Service and representatives from the recognised professional bodies to discuss the implementation and monitoring of SIP 16. The most recent meeting was held in September to discuss issuing guidance to practitioners to improve compliance with SIP 16. As a result of that meeting, the Insolvency Service has drafted guidance for insolvency practitioners, which is currently being reviewed by the recognised professional bodies prior to being issued.
	Many of the recognised professional bodies issued their own guidance on SIP 16 immediately following the publication of the report on the first six months operation of the SIP, to improve compliance. The bodies have welcomed further guidance and have agreed to issue the latest guidance at the same time as it is issued by the Insolvency Service. R3, the trade body for insolvency practitioners, has invited the Insolvency Service to take part in training at meetings and conferences to improve compliance with the SIP.
	The Insolvency Service is also a member of the Joint Insolvency Committee along with all the recognised professional bodies, which holds quarterly meetings to review guidance issued to insolvency practitioners. In the course of these meetings and those of sub-groups of the Committee, SIP 16 will have been discussed in general terms.
	The Insolvency Service is working closely with the recognised professional bodies to improve insolvency practitioners' compliance with the SIP and to consider whether and how the SIP may be strengthened.

Rover Group

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many draft reports from the investigators of the collapse of MG Rover were provided to the Government for comment before publication of the final report on 11 September 2009.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 14 October 2009
	The Government were involved in the MG Rover inspection both as supervisor and as a witness. An information barrier was put in place at an early stage to keep the information held by those supervising the inspection separate from Government witnesses and their advisers.
	Officials involved in the supervision of the inspection read a draft of each of the chapters of the Inspectors' report as they became available and fed comments back to the Inspectors. The Inspectors continued to work on the drafts and, where they made substantive amendments, officials re-read chapters or sections of chapters. The drafts were read at the offices of the Secretariat to the inspection.
	The Government also provided information and gave witness evidence to the inspection. As with other witnesses to the inspection, Government witnesses and their advisers were given an opportunity to comment on provisional criticisms from the Inspectors. Some extracts of the draft report were also provided to the Government witnesses and their advisers where the Inspectors intended to make specific reference to Government evidence.

Technology Strategy Board

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what collaborative research and development projects the Technology Strategy Board has funded in each of the last three years; and how much funding has been provided for each project.

David Lammy: Since it was established in July 2007 the Technology Strategy Board has issued offers to grant fund the following collaborative RD projects.
	A copy of the table will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Technology Strategy Board

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Technology Strategy Board has developed a practice appraisal and evaluation regime to measure the success of its activities.

David Lammy: The Technology Strategy Board operates an appraisal and evaluation regime covering the performance of its activities such as the programmes it delivers and the support mechanisms it uses and also at an individual project level.
	The mechanisms Technology Strategy Board uses to deliver support such as Collaborative RD, Knowledge Transfer Networks and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are evaluated on a regular basis (usually every two years) as part of the evaluation of the products which come under the Support for Business portfolio to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of business and deliver successful results.
	Individual projects are monitored on a quarterly basis during the life of the project and a final report is produced at the end of the project demonstrating the outcomes achieved. Since the Technology Strategy Board was established, it has also introduced post project evaluation at one year and five years after the end of the project, particularly to understand the economic impact. Due to the nature of the support provided by the Technology Strategy Board, the true impact of the project is often not known until a period of time after the project has completed.
	The Technology Strategy Board has also produced a series of case studies demonstrating the successful outcomes of projects it has funded which are available on its website:
	www.innovateuk.org
	The Technology Strategy Board is currently undertaking work to further develop a framework to continue to develop and refine its metrics and impact measures to be able to understand at a more detailed level the impact of its activities. It is also working more broadly with NESTA, BIS and ESRC to develop an Innovation Index to measure UK innovation.

UK Innovation Fund

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2093W, on the UK Innovation Fund, which budgets within his Department other than the Strategic Investment Fund he will draw on to accumulate the remaining £25 million for the UK Innovation Fund; and how much he will draw from each budget.

David Lammy: holding answer 14 October 2009
	As a trading fund the Intellectual Property Office has built up retained earnings of around £55 million. The Department has identified these reserves as a source of the remaining £25 million funding for the UK Innovation Investment Fund. Drawing on these reserves as an equity withdrawal will enable the Department to invest in the fund whilst continuing to meet its other commitments.

HEALTH

Dementia

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of people diagnosed with dementia; what assessment he has made of likely trends in numbers of dementia diagnoses to 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Department has not made a recent estimate of the likely number of people diagnosed with dementia. However, the Alzheimers Society's Dementia UK report, published in 2007 estimated that there were then 560,000 people in England with dementia and that numbers would rise to over 750,000 by 2020.

Dental Services: EC Nationals

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place to provide citizens of other EU countries with dental treatment if they are resident in the UK.

Ann Keen: Citizens of other European Union countries who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom may access the healthcare services, including dentistry, that are available to any UK resident.
	Under European Community regulations, posted workers and their dependents from member states of the European economic area and Switzerland are entitled to access state-funded healthcare on production of form E106. State pensioners and their dependents registered on form E121, in accordance with the same regulations, access state-funded healthcare in the same way as someone ordinarily resident in the UK.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many helplines his Department operates; and how much his Department has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: The Department's Communications Directorate runs nine campaign-specific phone lines and there are an additional four campaign linked lines run by other parts of the Department.
	No profit is made by the Department on calls to these lines.
	Information on any other telephone services that may be run on behalf of the Department is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: Providing information on the cost of accommodation overseas could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	Overseas trips undertaken by Ministers and costing more than £500 are published annually at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx
	The list for 2008-09 was published on 16 July 2009. Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively.

Elderly Care

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people aged 85 years and over who have a disability or limiting long-term illness in  (a) Vale of York constituency,  (b) North Yorkshire and  (c) England.

Phil Hope: Data on the number of people aged 85 years and over with a disability is not collected centrally, although information on the number of people receiving social services funded either fully or partially by Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities in England is collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care as part of the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care return.
	During the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 the number of adults aged 65 and over with physical disabilities, frailty or a sensory impairment receiving a social care service funded either partly or wholly by their Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities following a community care assessment was in North Yorkshire 14,760 and in England 1,045,250. Data for the Vale of York is not available.
	Information on the number of people over 85 who have a limiting long termed illness is also not available.
	However, using general practitioner patient survey results, where people over 85 are reported to have one or more long standing conditions, together with population figures from the 2001 census, it is estimated that Yorkshire and Humber region (not North Yorkshire) has 75,000, Vale of York has 1,400, and England has 746,000 people aged 85 and over living with one or more long term condition.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are taken to seek to ensure that notification of medical appointments reach patients before the appointment date; and whether he has made an assessment of the likely effects on arrangements for medical appointments of industrial action at national level among Royal Mail employees.

Gillian Merron: As part of the ongoing work of the national health service resilience project, the Department of Health and the national health service is aware the Communication Workers Union have announced plans for industrial action. As with similar national incidents, the Department of Health is working with the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as part of the cross-government response to this issue, and ensuring any impact on NHS services is fully understood by all concerned, and the NHS is putting in place appropriate contingency measures.

IVF

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he plans to increase the availability of fertility treatment at primary care trusts that do not currently provide funding for at least one full cycle of in vitro fertilisation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what percentage of primary care trusts which provide funding for at least one full cycle of in vitro fertilisation do so for people within the recommended age range for treatment of between 23 and 39 years of age;
	(3)  which primary care trusts provide funding for one full cycle of in vitro fertilisation for women aged 39 years and six months only;
	(4)  what percentage of primary care trusts provide funding for people to receive  (a) more than one full cycle of in vitro fertilisation (IVF),  (b) one full cycle of IVF and  (c) less than one full cycle of IVF; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The provision of fertility treatment by primary care trusts (PCTs) is determined at local level. The Government support the clinical guidelines on the assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and has made it clear that PCTs are expected to move towards full implementation of the guideline. Many have already made firm progress (the number of PCTs offering three cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment has increased by 22 percentage points between 2007 and 2008) and others continue to develop their policies.
	Responses to a survey carried out in early 2009 and published on the Department's website:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Fertility/index.htm
	in June 2009 showed that in 2008 50 per cent. of PCTs provided either two or three full cycles of IVF, with 25 per cent. providing one full cycle and 22 per cent. providing one fresh cycle. A copy has already been placed in the Library. The North Staffordshire PCT reported offering treatment in exceptional cases only. The North Yorkshire and York PCT is the only PCT providing funding for one cycle of IVF for women age 39 years and six months only. We understand that this was instituted as a temporary measure from 2007 pending a review of provision across the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority.
	88 per cent. of PCTs offer IVF for eligible couples across the full NICE recommended range for treatment, i.e. where the woman is aged 23-39.

Mental Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England he estimates are waiting for access to psychological therapies; and what the average waiting time for such treatment is.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected nationally although all services in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme monitor times from assessment to treatment in their area as well as both health and social outcomes of patients.

NHS Direct: Ambulance Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on the standards of patient care of integrating the services provided by NHS Direct and Ambulance Services; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has not made an assessment on the effects on the standards of patient care of integrating the services provided by NHS Direct and Ambulance Services.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) NHS trusts are required to make any financial returns to his Department other than those under the PFR3 and TFR3 data collections.

Mike O'Brien: Primary care trusts and national health service trusts are required to submit the following financial returns via the Financial Information Management System (FIMS), in addition to the PFR3 and TFR3 collections:
	financial monitoring and accounts (FMA) forms;
	programme budgeting (primary care trusts only);
	FIMS(FHS)4 returns-General Medical Services (primary care trusts only);
	FIMS(FHS)3 returns-General Ophthalmic Services (primary care trusts only); and
	TFR6-ambulance services expenditure (ambulance trusts only).

Radiotherapy

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of  (a) levels of the availability of and  (b) waiting times for stereotactic radiosurgery treatments for NHS patients.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has not made a specific assessment of levels of availability of stereotactic radiosurgery.
	Latest available data showing the median time waited (days) for a finished admission episode for stereotactic radiosurgery on tissue of the brain carried are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Median time waited (days) 
			 2006-07 21 
			 2007-08 15 
			  Notes: A finished admission episode is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. It should be noted that admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) schools and  (b) children have received free fruit and vegetables under the school fruit and vegetable scheme; how much fruit has been provided under the scheme; what account is taken of pupil absence rates in provision of fruit to schools under the scheme; how much the scheme has cost in each year of its operation; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: In the year to September 2009 the school fruit and vegetable scheme (SFVS) has distributed around 440 million pieces of fruit and vegetable each year to over two million children in over 16,300 schools. In April 2004 the Department took over the scheme from the Big Lottery Fund, and the funding for each year for figures available is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 23.6 
			 2005-06 37.4 
			 2006-07 36.2 
			 2007-08 36.9 
			 2008-09 42.6 
		
	
	Every local education authority (LEA) has its own absenteeism rate, and the national health service supply chain, who runs the SFVS, applies this to the number of children eligible at schools within all LEAs and, where necessary, reduces the fruit delivery by this amount.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 765W, on swine flu, who will receive payment for giving housebound patients vaccinations; how much will be paid for each such vaccination; and from which budget.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 19 October 2009
	General practitioner practices will receive £5.25 for each dose of swine flu vaccination administered to patients on their registered list who fall into one or more of the clinically at-risk priority groups announced by the Chief Medical Officer on 13 August 2009. This includes housebound patients who are on their list. The price per dose reflects the overall cost practices will incur in vaccinating their at-risk patients. The Department will provide additional funding to cover the cost of vaccinating patients in these priority groups.

Tuberculosis: Screening

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department has conducted recent research on the effectiveness of the port of entry screening programme for tuberculosis;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of operating the port of entry screening programme for tuberculosis in the last five years;
	(3)  how many cases of  (a) active and  (b) latent tuberculosis have been detected at port of entry screening for tuberculosis in the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The Department has not conducted research on the effectiveness of the port of entry screening programme for tuberculosis (TB).
	The Department has not made an estimate of the cost of operating the port of entry screening programme for TB in the last five years.
	The data on the number of cases on active and latent TB detected at port of entry screening in the last five years are not collected centrally.
	The Health Protection Agency (HPA) receives data on cases classified as possible active TB from the Heathrow and Gatwick Health Control Units (HCUs) as reported on Port Form 103, which is how the medical inspector notifies the district to which the immigrant is going.
	Data received by the HPA are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of PF 103 referrals 
			  Period  Heathrow( 1)  Gatwick( 2) 
			 2004-05 n/a 15 
			 2005-06 587 11 
			 2006-07 590 16 
			 2007-08 475 16 
			 2008-09 421 1 
			  Sources: (1) Heathrow HCU annual report (2) Gatwick HCU annual report

Wheelchairs

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to respond to the consultation on wheelchair services undertaken as part of his Department's review of the care services efficiency delivery retail model.

Phil Hope: The Care Services Efficiency Delivery programme undertook consultation on wheelchair services as part of the process to help inform their recommendations for possible future models. There are no plans to provide a response to these consultations.
	Discussions are ongoing within the Department on the future model for wheelchair services and stakeholder views are seen as key in the development of any new model of service provision. Officials will continue to involve all groups of wheelchair service users and their carers as required.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma: Famine

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the of the severity of the famine in Chin state in Burma; and what relief his Department is providing for those affected by the famine.

Michael Foster: Over the last two years, rat infestations have exacerbated chronic food shortages suffered by many people in Chin State. In September 2009, the World Food Programme (WFP) estimated that more than 19,000 households in 303 villages had been severely affected by the infestations. In response to the crisis, the Department for International Development (DFID) has approved funding of £880,000 towards emergency aid delivered through the United Nations Development Programme, WFP and their local partners. WFP estimates that by September, nearly 88,000 people had benefited from this aid. We are keeping the situation under close review.
	We are also considering, in consultation with the United Nations and other donors, how best to address longer-term food security needs in Chin State and other parts of Burma.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009,  Official Report, column 611W, on the Middle East: peace negotiations, whether his Department plans to second further staff to support the Quartet's Special Envoy from January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development does not have plans to second further staff after January 2010.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work of the Quartet Special Envoy, Tony Blair on the development of the Palestinian Territories; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) continues to support the work of the Quartet Representative, Tony Blair. He is making a strong contribution to Palestinian state building and economic growth which has been commended by the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.
	The Quartet Envoy's work to relieve movement and access restrictions by acting as a focal point for international lobbying on these issues has been particularly important. The recent decision by the Israeli Government to remove 35 obstacles in the West Bank has already cut some journey times by half; and the IMF has predicted that the West Bank may see economic growth of 7 per cent. in 2009 should these movement and access constraints continue to be lifted.
	The Quartet Representative has also made significant progress in mobilising funding for development projects from Arab and Western donors and has played a leading role in the high level investment conferences that took place in London and Bethlehem in 2008.

News International and Monitor Group

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  whether any  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had (i) meetings with, (ii) communications from and (iii) other contacts with News International in the last five years; and what the subject matter of any contact was in each case;
	(2)  whether any  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had (i) meetings with, (ii) communications from and (iii) other contacts with the Monitor Group in the last five years; and what the subject matter of any contact was in each case.

Douglas Alexander: The requested information could not be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.

Pacific Ocean Islands: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department plans to send to victims of the recent tsunami and earthquakes in the South Pacific.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided £100,000 to help address the immediate effects of the tsunami in Samoa. This was part of the co-ordinated international aid effort to support the Samoan Red Cross Society (SRCS).
	The SRCS has opened five temporary shelter sites and is distributing clean water, first aid supplies, tarpaulins and other relief to those affected.

Tony Blair Faith Foundation

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has provided to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation; for which events run by the Foundation his Department has provided sponsorship; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided any funding directly to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation (TBFF).
	We have provided £30,000 to World Vision, who are co-sponsoring a seminar series with the TBFF focusing on the theme of faiths in development. Oxfam and Islamic Relief have also contributed funds to the series. These seminars are taking place at the Royal Society of Arts in London from 7 September to 12 November.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate has been made of the number of people displaced by fighting in northern Yemen; and what assistance the Government are providing to Yemen for humanitarian relief.

Douglas Alexander: The United Nations (UN) estimates that as many as 150,000 people have now been displaced by the conflict in northern Yemen. Large numbers of these are women and children who are especially in need of protection and security.
	On 9 October, the Department for International Development (DFID) announced £2 million for humanitarian aid to those who have been driven out of their homes by the ongoing fighting. This funding, delivered through the UN Flash Appeal, will be used to provide water, sanitation and hygiene services, food, health care, assistance to malnourished children, and shelter and relief items. It will also help to reduce immediate security and protection threats, and boost co-ordination within the humanitarian response effort.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which proposed academies  (a) have been authorised to open and  (b) have been the subject of applications to open since 2002; what the (i) location and (ii) proposed date of opening is of each such academy; who the sponsor is of each such academy; and whether each such academy has been designated as having a religious character.

Vernon Coaker: Information on Academies which have been authorised to open and have been the subject of applications to open since 2002 can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/academies/projects

Care Homes: Security

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received from local authorities on the physical security of vulnerable people in local authority care.

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received from local authorities on the physical security of vulnerable people in local authority care; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 7 July 2009
	All children's homes must comply with regulations and national minimum standards. These require that premises must be fit and suitable for achieving the home's statement of purpose. Every home must be secure from unauthorised access. This could include, for example, using electronic surveillance to monitor those who enter and leave the premises or having ground floor windows that can be opened only part way.
	Where a local authority looks after a child, including those that have been trafficked, then they are responsible for identifying a placement that will be appropriate to meeting their needs, including their need to be kept safe from any likely harm.
	On 1 July 2009, we published new Statutory Guidance on children who run away and go missing from home or care. This sets out the measures local authorities must take whenever a child that they look after goes missing from their care placement and includes specific information about managing support for especially vulnerable groups of looked after children-such as those asylum seeking children who may have been trafficked into the UK.

Children: Day Care

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many nursery nurses per head of population there were in Northamptonshire in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: These data are not available. However, national data on the numbers and characteristics of staff in the child care and early years work force are collected through the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey. The latest survey to be published in the series is for 2008 and was published at the end of September 2009. This can be found at the following website address:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/programmeofresearch/projectinformation.cfm?projectld=14590type=5resultspage=1

Children: Day Care

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many nursery places per head of population there were in Northamptonshire in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department publishes information on the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds in maintained, private, voluntary and independent providers. This is derived by counting children taking up 12 and a half hours per week as one place, 10 hours per week as 0.8 places, seven and a half hours per week as 0.6 places, five hours per week as 0.4 places and two and a half hours per week as 0.2 places. Table 1 shows the number of part-time equivalent places filled by three and four-year-olds in Northamptonshire local authority from 2000 to 2009.
	Information on nursery school places per head of population has not been included. This is because data on places available are not collected; only data on places filled are available and as children can access their free entitlement across different local authority areas, part time equivalent places are not on a comparable basis with the local authority population figures. Population figures at this level of disaggregation are also not as reliable as at the national level.
	
		
			  Table 1: Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1,2)  filled by three( 3)  and four( 3) -year-olds, local authority: Northamptonshire 
			  Position in January each year  Number of three and four-year-olds 
			 2000(4) 10,100 
			 2001(4) 11,000 
			 2002(5) 11,700 
			 2003(6) 13,000 
			 2004(6) 14,100 
			 2005(6) 14,000 
			 2006(6) 13,800 
			 2007(6) 14,300 
			 2008(6) 14,600 
			 2009(6) 15,100 
			 (1) A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Age of all children taken at 31 December in the previous calendar year. (4) Headcount of children aged three and four from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. (5) Part-time equivalent number of three and four-year-olds from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. (5) Part-time equivalent number of three and four-year-olds from the Early Years Census and School Census.

Children: Social Services

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will list serious case reviews which have been performed following the death of a child since 2005, citing only the month and year of the death, the local authority with jurisdiction and a reference code.

Dawn Primarolo: In April 2007 Ofsted assumed responsibility for the inspection of children's social care and local authorities became responsible for notifying Ofsted of serious incidents involving children. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) developed a new database to hold information on such incidents, and data on the numbers of Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) following the notification of a death or serious injury of a child are available from 1 April 2007.
	A previous parliamentary answer-23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 442W-indicated that, of all notifications received between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 of serious child care incidents, 89 SCRs had been initiated where a child died and abuse or neglect was known or suspected to be a factor.
	Data currently held by the Department as at 8 October 2009 indicate that, of all notifications received between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009 of serious child care incidents, 75 SCRs had been initiated where a child died and abuse or neglect was known or suspected to be a factor.
	A further three incidents are awaiting a decision. These figures are broken down by local authority in the following table along with the data from the previous parliamentary answer.
	The decision about whether to undertake an SCR can change as more information about the case becomes available, for example, through inquests in to the cause of death. Therefore, the data given in this and the previous answer are likely to change slightly over time.
	It is not possible to give information broken down by the date of death (by month) because this would significantly increase the risk that individual children and their families might be identified and could prejudice the interests and safety of children and their families.
	
		
			  Local authority  Number of Serious Case Reviews commissioned as a result of a child death, notified between  1 April 2007 and  31 March 2008( 1)  Number of Serious Case Reviews commissioned as a result of a child death, notified between  1 April 2008 and  31 March 2009( 2) 
			  North East   
			 Darlington 0 0 
			 Durham 0 2 
			 Gateshead 0 0 
			 Hartlepool 0 1 
			 Middlesbrough 0 0 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 2 0 
			 North Tyneside 0 1 
			 Northumberland 0 1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1 0 
			 South Tyneside 3 0 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 0 0 
			 Sunderland 0 0 
			
			  North West   
			 Blackburn with Darwen 2 0 
			 Blackpool 0 0 
			 Bolton 0 0 
			 Bury 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 2 
			 Cumbria 0 0 
			 Halton 1 1 
			 Knowsley 1 0 
			 Lancashire 1 3 
			 Liverpool 2 1 
			 Manchester 2 2 
			 Oldham 0 0 
			 Rochdale 0 0 
			 Salford 0 1 
			 Sefton 0 0 
			 St Helens 1 0 
			 Stockport 1 0 
			 Tameside 0 0 
			 Trafford 0 0 
			 Warrington 0 0 
			 Wigan 0 1 
			 Wirral 0 0 
			
			  Yorks and the Humber   
			 Barnsley 0 0 
			 Bradford 0 0 
			 Calderdale 2 0 
			 Doncaster 3 2 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 0 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 1 0 
			 Kirklees 1 2 
			 Leeds 4 2 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1 0 
			 North Lincolnshire 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 1 0 
			 Rotherham 0 1 
			 Sheffield 3 0 
			 Wakefield 1 1 
			 York 0 0 
			
			  East Midlands   
			 Derby 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 1 0 
			 Leicester 3 0 
			 Leicestershire 0 1 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 1 
			 Nottingham 2 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 0 
			 Rutland 0 0 
			
			  West Midlands   
			 Birmingham 2 5 
			 Coventry 2 1 
			 Dudley 1 0 
			 Herefordshire 1 1 
			 Sandwell 2 1 
			 Shropshire 1 1 
			 Solihull 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 1 0 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 0 0 
			 Telford and Wrekin 0 0 
			 Walsall 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 
			 Wolverhampton 1 1 
			 Worcestershire 2 2 
			
			  East of England   
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 1 
			 Essex 1 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 3 
			 Luton 1 0 
			 Norfolk 2 0 
			 Peterborough 0 1 
			 Southend-on-Sea 0 0 
			 Suffolk 2 0 
			 Thurrock 1 0 
			
			  London   
			  Inner London   
			 Camden 0 0 
			 City of London 0 0 
			 Hackney 0 1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1 0 
			 Haringey 1 0 
			 Islington 0 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 0 
			 Lambeth 0 0 
			 Lewisham 0 1 
			 Newham 0 2 
			 Southwark 2 0 
			 Tower Hamlets 1 0 
			 Wandsworth 0 0 
			 Westminster 0 1 
			
			  Outer London   
			 Barking and Dagenham 1 0 
			 Barnet 1 1 
			 Bexley 0 2 
			 Brent 0 0 
			 Bromley 0 1 
			 Croydon 2 0 
			 Ealing 0 0 
			 Enfield 0 1 
			 Greenwich 0 1 
			 Harrow 0 0 
			 Havering 0 1 
			 Hillingdon 0 0 
			 Hounslow 0 0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 0 
			 Merton 0 0 
			 Redbridge 1 1 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 0 
			 Sutton 0 1 
			 Waltham Forest 1 0 
			
			  South East   
			 Bracknell Forest 0 0 
			 Brighton and Hove 0 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 1 2 
			 East Sussex 0 1 
			 Hampshire 0 1 
			 Isle of Wight 1 0 
			 Kent 2 2 
			 Medway 0 1 
			 Milton Keynes 1 0 
			 Oxfordshire 0 1 
			 Portsmouth 1 0 
			 Reading 0 1 
			 Slough 0 1 
			 Southampton 1 0 
			 Surrey 1 0 
			 West Berkshire 1 0 
			 West Sussex 0 0 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 0 0 
			 Wokingham 0 0 
			
			  South West   
			 Bath and North East Somerset 0 0 
			 Bournemouth 0 0 
			 Bristol, City of 1 0 
			 Cornwall 1 1 
			 Devon 2 0 
			 Dorset 0 1 
			 Gloucestershire 1 2 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 
			 North Somerset 0 1 
			 Plymouth 0 0 
			 Poole 0 1 
			 Somerset 1 0 
			 South Gloucestershire 0 0 
			 Swindon 0 0 
			 Torbay 0 0 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 
			  89 75 
			 (1) Information from previous parliamentary answer (Official Report 23 February 2009, column 442W (2 )There are three cases which await a decision)

Education Maintenance Allowance: Pay

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on education maintenance allowance bonuses in 2008-09; and how much he expects his Department to spend in each of the next three years.

Iain Wright: In 2008-09 the total spent on all types of EMA bonus in England was £80,505,540.
	The Learning and Skills Council's Annual Statement of Priorities, to be published later in the autumn, will set out total planned future expenditure for EMA and other learner support programmes.

Education: Young People

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on the 14-19 engagement programme in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Iain Wright: In the 2009/10 academic year, funds totalling £19,334,000 have been allocated to 142 local authorities to pilot the Key Stage 4 Engagement programme. Overall, this pilot programme will make provision for almost 28,000 learners who are, or at risk of becoming, disengaged from learning and who are not achieving as well as they should be.

Office of the Schools Adjudicator

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the operational cost of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator was in each financial year since its inception; and what it has been in 2009-10 to date;
	(2)  how many staff are employed in the Office of the Schools Adjudicator;
	(3)  how many objections to school closures have been referred to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator in each year since the Office was established; and how many of these were upheld;
	(4)  how many objections to school closures are before the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.

Diana Johnson: The Office of the Schools Adjudicator's Annual report is expected from the Chief Schools Adjudicator on 2 November 2009. This will be a comprehensive report which will answer many of the questions asked which relate to this year.
	The operational cost of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Operational cost  (£) 
			 1999/2000 849,000 
			 2000/01 797,000 
			 2001/02 569,000 
			 2002/03 432,000 
			 2003/04 637,000 
			 2004/05 689,00 
			 2005/06 517,000 
			 2006/07 605,000 
			 2007/08 655,000 
			 2008/09 756,000 
		
	
	This financial year (2009/10), the operational costs of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator has so far amounted to £295,000.
	There are currently nine Adjudicators (including the Chief Schools Adjudicator), and seven full-time equivalent administrative staff working within the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.
	Data on objections made to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator against a school closure is only available from 2008/09. In that year, four objections were referred to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, none were upheld. No referrals have been made in the current year.
	There are no objections to school closures currently before the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.
	The Office of the Schools Adjudicator is currently dealing with three statutory proposal cases involving the closing of schools.

Office of the Schools Adjudicator

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he last met the Schools Adjudicator to discuss the operation of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The Chief Schools Adjudicator met the Secretary of State on his appointment to the post at the start of this year. Since then, the Chief Adjudicator has met with the Minister responsible for School Admissions on a bi-monthly basis.
	The Chief Schools Adjudicator provides an Annual Report to the Secretary of State.

Parents: Advisory Services

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many calls there have been to the Parent Know How helpline in each month since it was established; what the cost of the helpline has been; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Under our Parent Know How programme we are funding seven third sector organisations to provide helpline support for parents in England. There is not a separate single Parent Know How helpline. The funding for these helplines, for a three-year period, commenced on 1 April 2008. Management data, including the number of recorded calls made to the helplines, were collected on a quarterly basis in the first year (1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009). In the current year, we are now collecting this data on a monthly basis. The following table shows a breakdown of the number of recorded calls made to each helpline between 1 April 2008 and 30 September 2009.
	
		
			  2008-09: Recorded calls made 
			   Helpline 
			   Advisory Centre for Education  Contact a Family  Children's Legal Centre  Family Rights Group  Gingerbread  Parentline Plus  Young Minds 
			 Q1 33,395 4,361 4,978 6,498 2,544 47,033 2,502 
			 Q2 10,669 6,598 6,752 5,560 2,923 40,140 2,018 
			 Q3 15,249 4,575 7,070 4,211 2,434 39,266 2,437 
			 Q4 21,298 5,815 9,008 6,957 3,095 39,430 2,868 
			 Total 80,611 21,349 27,808 23,226 10,996 165,869 9,825 
			 Overall total 339,684 
		
	
	
		
			  2009-10 : Recorded calls made  to 30 September 
			   Helpline 
			   Advisory Centre for Education  Contact a Family  Children's Legal Centre  Family Rights Group  Gingerbread  Parentline Plus  Young Minds 
			 April 7,476 1,427 2,043 1,861 847 12,322 599 
			 May 7,637 1,329 1,819 2,087 724 13,511 678 
			 June 6,359 1,336 1,938 2,219 363 11,970 778 
			 July 4,202 1,165 2,420 1,857 920 13,169 904 
			 August 1,023 1,361 1,188 1,145 857 11,420 526 
			 September 3,578 1,428 2,066 1,562 1,019 12,768 914 
			 Total 30,275 8,046 11,474 10,731 4,730 75,160 4,399 
			 Overall total 144,815 
		
	
	The third sector organisations each receive grant funding. The total grant funding claimed between 1 April 2008 and 30 September 2009 was £5,821,814.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools built in each local education authority area in each of the last five years do not have a sprinkler system.

Vernon Coaker: We have the information requested for secondary schools procured within the Building Schools for the Future and Academies Programmes. We have placed a list of these new secondary schools in the House Libraries. The list will include the date the schools were completed and the local authority where they are situated. However, we do not hold such information for primary schools.

CABINET OFFICE

Public Services Forum Task Group

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2009,  Official Report, column 943W, on the Public Services Forum Task Group, whether minutes are kept of the meetings of the Public Services Forum Task Group.

Tessa Jowell: The Public Services Forum Task Group came to an end in July 2008 when the Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Trade Unions and Advice was published. Minutes were kept of the Task Group's meetings.

TREASURY

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Christmas functions arranged by his Department and its agencies  (a) he,  (b) officials of his Department and  (c) officials of its agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2008; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is not available.

Corporation Tax

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the headline rate of corporation tax.

Stephen Timms: The Government are committed to ensuring that the UK continues to have one of the most competitive corporate tax regimes in the world. The UK continues to have the lowest main rate of corporation tax in the G7.
	Treasury Ministers and officials regularly receive representations on tax issues, including on the rate of corporation tax, from a variety of sources as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors the Valuation Office Agency requires a bathroom in a dwelling to have to meet the bathroom classification under the council tax dwellinghouse coding system; and what classification is applied to a room with a toilet and sink only.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the Valuation Office Agency's Property Details Guide, which is available on its website at
	www.voa.gov.uk

Crown Estates: Parliamentary Questions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 178W, on trade unions, on what matters relating to the Crown Estate he takes responsibility for answering Parliamentary Questions.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Crown Estate's role is defined by statute through The Crown Estate Act 1961. Treasury Ministers answer parliamentary questions on Crown Estate issues covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland, on the advice of the Crown Estate Office.
	The Secretary of State for Scotland handles matters dealing with The Crown Estate in Scotland.

Housing: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a conservatory with a dwellinghouse coded D has a greater value weighting than a conservatory with a dwellinghouse codes under the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model.

Ian Pearson: A conservatory may add to value., depending on its size and quality.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

William Hague: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has received a request to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry;
	(2)  how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have received requests to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the Prime Minister on 19 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1210W.

Local Government: Assets

Richard Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 23-8WS, on sale of Government assets, whether any receipts of proposed sales of local authority assets will accrue to the Exchequer.

Liam Byrne: Excepting certain receipts from the sale of housing land and dwellings that are required to be pooled centrally or surrendered, English local authorities are free to use capital receipts from asset sales to support capital investment, repay debt, invest to earn interest or any combination of these. The decision rests with the local authority concerned.

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2009,  Official Report, column 848W, on council tax: valuation, what  (a) property attributes and  (b) geo-spatial factors were taken into account when reviewing the sub-location codes for the revaluation of non-domestic rates.

Ian Pearson: Sub-locations are codes used by the VOA to group properties with similar characteristics for non-domestic rating purposes. Regard is had to factual characteristics such as property type, quality and location or a combination. No maps are maintained.

Operational Efficiency Programme

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to report on the conclusions of Sir Gerry Grimstone's review of the operational efficiency of  (a) the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency,  (b) the Royal Mint and  (c) the Land Registry.

Liam Byrne: The Operational Efficiency Programme: final report, published in April 2009 stated that there would be an update on the Gerry Grimstone's strand of the Operational Efficiency Programme at the 2009 pre-Budget report.

Private Finance Initiative: Costs

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to reduce the costs associated with private finance initiatives.

Ian Pearson: HM Treasury provides a wide range of guidance and support to Departments and procuring authorities on managing the cost of private finance initiatives throughout the procurement cycle. This material is available on the Department's website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_guidance_index.htm

Tax Allowances: Fuel Oil

Tim Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will consider introducing tax exemption for mineralogical processes which use recovered fuel oil;
	(2)  what the difference is in the tax treatment on the use of recovered fuel oil in the  (a) steel,  (b) electricity and  (c) lime manufacturing industries; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government keep all taxes under review. Any changes to tax policy are announced by the Chancellor as part of his Budget judgment in the normal Budget and pre-Budget report process.
	Recovered fuel oil used in blast furnaces is not subject to fuel duty as the oil is being used as a chemical reductant rather than as a fuel. Fuels used to generate electricity are exempt from duty to avoid double taxation since electricity is subject to climate change levy. Recovered fuel oil used in the lime manufacturing industry is subject to duty at the same rate as fuel oil, the fuel for which it most commonly substitutes. This rate is 10.37p per litre.

Taxation: Betting

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change tax arrangements for fixed odds betting terminals.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government are currently consulting on the taxation of gaming machines, including the taxation of fixed odds betting terminals. The consultation discusses whether the current system of amusement machine licence duty (AMLD) and VAT should be replaced with a gross profits tax (GPT).
	The consultation ends on 23 October 2009, and can be found on the Treasury website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_gaming machines_taxation.htm

Taxation: Gaming Machines

John Gummer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with representatives of seaside towns on changes to the taxation of gaming machines;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received from residents of  (a) seaside and  (b) coastal district towns on changes to taxation on gaming machines.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policymaking process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.
	Once the consultation period has ended, the Government expect to publish a summary of responses received.

Taxation: Gaming Machines

John Gummer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of  (a) staff and  (b) other costs arising from his Department's consultation on taxation of gaming machines.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: A consultation stage impact assessment was published alongside the consultation on the taxation of gaming machines. This included estimates of the change in administrative burdens on businesses resulting from a move to a gross profits tax.
	A final stage impact assessment will be published after the consultation has been completed, which will also include the costs to HMRC of enforcement relating to a gross profits tax regime.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will assess the merits of raising the occupancy threshold for eligibility under the furnished holiday letting rules instead of abolishing those rules;
	(2)  if he will assess the merits of deferring the proposed abolition of the furnished holiday letting rules until April 2011 to enable further consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on 19 October,  Official Report, column 1288W.

Valuation Office

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2009,  Official Report, columns 2287-88W, on the Valuation Office Agency, what action was taken against each individual reported to have been convicted.

Ian Pearson: The Valuation Office Agency received fewer than five reports of convictions and related offences from the Cabinet Office and the action taken against each individual was in accordance with the Valuation Office Agency's Conduct Policy depending on the severity of the offence. To provide further detail on such a small number of individuals might allow them to be identified and thus breach data protection rules.

Valuation Office

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) speeches,  (b) presentations delivered and  (c) handouts issued by the representative of the Valuation Office Agency at the Global Property Tax Management Conference in Berlin on 22 September 2008.

Ian Pearson: A copy of the presentations have been placed in the Library of the House.

Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1513W, on the Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble, how much money was paid by his Department to Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies in each of the last six years.

Ian Pearson: The following amounts have been paid on behalf of the Valuation Office Agency to Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies in each of the last six years:
	
		
			   Total (£) 
			 2003-04 589,195.00 
			 2004-05 1,253,100.08 
			 2005-06 1,334,182.61 
			 2006-07 481,646.51 
			 2007-08 54,806.57 
			 2008-09 0.00 
		
	
	These figures exclude non-recoverable VAT.

Valuation Office: Digital Technology

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency has access to digital mapping facilities under the Pan-Government Agreement.

Ian Pearson: Yes.

Valuation Office: Information and Communications Technology

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ludlow, of 14 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2135W, on the Valuation Office: ICT, what the breakdown by category of expenditure was of the £6.7 million of expenditure on the automated valuation model since September 2005; and which Minister authorised that expenditure.

Ian Pearson: The breakdown of the £6.7 million expenditure is as follows:
	
		
			  Item  £ (excluding VAT) 
			 IT development and consultancy 4,300,000 
			 IT support costs 2,400,000 
			 Total 6,700,000 
		
	
	This expenditure was originally approved by the former Minister for Local Government in 2005.

Valuation Office: Rightmove

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the duration of the contract between the Valuation Office Agency and HM Revenue and Customs and Rightmove.co.uk plc is; what the latest date is by which the Agency may exercise its right to extend the contract; and whether the contract will roll on if each party agrees.

Ian Pearson: An agreement to extend the contract extension was signed on 20 November 2008. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 2 February 2009,  Official Report, column 905W.
	The contract will not roll on.

Valuation Office: Standards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ludlow of 16 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2288W, on the Valuation Office Agency: publications, for what reasons the Agency did not meet its minimum target standards in each of the six process areas.

Ian Pearson: The external consultants who carried out the high level assessment advised that improvements were necessary in the six process areas to achieve an increasing profile against the target standards.
	Publication of more detail in advance of those improvements being completed would represent an unjustified escalation of risk.

Valuation Office: Training

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1513W, on the Valuation Office, and of 21 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1514W, on the Valuation Office: training, if he will place in the Library an electronic copy of each of the 25 other e-learning programmes.

Ian Pearson: There are now 30 e-learning programmes available to all Valuation Office Agency staff. 24 of these programmes have been developed in-house (as listed). One of the programmes has already been placed in the Library and copies of the remaining 23 programmes will be deposited in CD Rom format as soon as it is possible to create the discs.
	1. Address Application
	2. Enquiry Handling and Appeals Direct
	3 Basic English Skills Grammar and Punctuation
	4. Code of Measuring Practice
	5. Council Tax
	6. Data Security
	7. Digital Dictation
	8. Dwelling-house Coding (a copy of this has already been deposited in the Library)
	9. Enterprise Resource Planning
	10. Freedom of Information including Data Protection and Other Information Law
	11. Health and Safety Site Inspections
	12. Introduction to the VOA Internet
	13. Omnidox
	14. Performance Management
	15. Rating Revaluation 2005 Maintenance and Defence
	16. RSA Pattern Valuation Process 2005 Rating List
	17. Strategic Asset Management
	18. The Development Process including Assessment Centres
	19. The VOA Welcome Programme
	20. Transfer of TRS Functions to the VOA
	21. Vacancy Filling
	22. Reval 2010 Summary Valuation Enquiry Handling
	23. Change Management
	24. Fraud Awareness Training Package.
	The following five programmes are commercial learning products that have been developed by external companies and are not owned by the Valuation Office Agency Copies of these programmes will not be included in the deposit to the Library of the House.
	25. Euclidian
	26. Fire Awareness in the Workplace
	27. MS Office e-learning
	28. Ten Thumbs Typing
	29. NBS Learning Channels
	30. Equality and Diversity In Practice.

VAT

Peter Luff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 46-47WS, on value added tax, whether he still plans to raise the rate of value added tax to 17.5 per cent. on 1 January 2010.

Stephen Timms: As originally announced in the 2008 pre-Budget report and confirmed in Budget 2009 and the Finance Act 2009, the standard rate of VAT will revert to 17.5 per cent. from midnight on 31 December 2009.